At least 11 dead, 150 injured as fireworks factory explodes in huge fireball in India
At least 11 people were killed and around 150 injured in a massive explosion at a fireworks factory in India today. Balls of flame flew into the air.
Footage on Indian television showed a tower of flames after the explosion at the firecracker factory, prompting dozens of ambulances and army helicopters to be called in to evacuate the injured.
Pawan Kumar Sharma, the area's top administrative official, said at least 11 people died in the fire and rescuers were searching the rubble to check if anyone was trapped.
About 150 people were injured, senior police officer Ishad Wali said.
Images of the factory site showed a wasteland of blackened and smoking rubble.
Video also showed terrified people fleeing the blaze and firefighters dealing with the aftermath, with equipment and shards of metal strewn across the ground.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said reports of the explosion were “very sad news” and that doctors at the burn wards of nearby major hospitals had been called in to make “necessary preparations”.
Footage on Indian television showed a flame tower after the explosion at the firecracker factory in Harda, Madhya Pradesh state
“Ambulances are being rushed to Harda from surrounding areas and the Army has been contacted to arrange helicopters,” Yadav said in a post on X.
At least 20 ambulances were at the scene, and another 50 were sent to help the injured, he added.
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Manish Sharma, a surgeon at Harda district hospital, said the center was overwhelmed by a flood of victims.
“We have eight deaths in our hospital, so far a total of 90 people have been admitted here and we have referred 15 of them to a bigger hospital,” Sharma told AFP earlier in the day.
“As more people are rescued from the site, they are brought here.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “saddened by the loss of life” and said the government would give the families of the dead $2,400 each in compensation and $600 to the injured.
Kailash Chand Parte, a senior district official coordinating rescue efforts from the factory, said fire tenders were battling the intense blaze.
Images show the fireball in the factory. Senior district police official Rajeshwari Mahobia said there have been “eight deaths and around 80 injuries so far” at the Harda factory in Madhya Pradesh state, adding that “the death toll is likely to rise”
“The fire is still not under control and we have about 15 fire engines and many rescuers on site,” Parte said.
He said between 200 and 300 people worked at the factory, but it was not known how many were inside at the time of the explosion.
“At least ten buildings around the complex where the blast occurred have been damaged due to the intensity of the explosion,” he added.
One police officer told the Times of India that the dead included those who were trampled during the panic to escape the raging flames.
Some died during the “stampede after the blast,” local police officer Abdul Raees Khan told the newspaper, adding that rescue teams “had yet to reach the actual blast site while (the) fire was ongoing.”
Smoke coming from the factor after the explosion
Video showed the aftermath of the blast, with equipment and pieces of metal strewn across the ground
Explosions are common in fireworks workshops in India.
Fireworks are extremely popular in India, especially during the Hindu festival of Diwali, but also for use during wedding celebrations.
But many factories do not adhere to basic safety requirements and operate without a permit.
In 2019, at least 18 people were killed in a fireworks factory explosion in Batala in Punjab state, and the same year another 10 people were killed in Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh.