At least 11 people died and 149 were injured in a massive blast followed by a fire in a firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh’s Harda district on Tuesday. A rescue operation to find and extract workers still trapped in the debris of the collapsed building was interrupted by continuing explosions, and officials were forced to evacuate at least 100 houses in the vicinity.
A first information report (FIR) has been filed. A senior police officer said that one person has been arrested so far. He said that various teams have been formed to nab the others.
M.P. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has formed a high-level panel to oversee investigations. District officials said that a fire incident had previously occurred at the same factory two years ago, and that the factory had been shut due to other violations four months ago, though they claimed that it had valid licenses. A State Congress leader said that the factory’s owners, who are missing, are being protected by the government.
The CM directed efforts to oversee the rescue and to inspect other firecracker factories in the State. He announced ₹4 lakh in financial aid to the kin of the deceased, who were also promised ₹2 lakh by the Prime Minister’s Office; the CM and PM each promised ₹50,000 to the injured as well.
Massive blasts
According to officials in Harda, the incident took place around 11 a.m. in the Bairagarh village area when a fire broke out in the three-storey factory building, leading to massive explosions and the collapse of the building within minutes.
Kailash Chand Parte, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Harda, told The Hindu that 10 people have been confirmed dead at the Harda District Hospital. One more person died while undergoing treatment at Bhopal’s Hamidiya Hospital, another official said. Another district official said that 149 people have been admitted in hospitals in the district so far, while 25 critical patients have been sent to hospitals in various cities, including Bhopal, Indore, and Narmadapuram.
Mr. Parte said that the explosions were so massive that at least 50 houses in the vicinity had been partially damaged or had collapsed sections. At least 100 houses in the area were vacated by the administration.
“There were about 150 workers inside the factory campus at the time of the incident. Many of them used to live inside the campus only. Some of them managed to escape, but we fear that many are still stranded in the debris,” Mr. Parte said. “The blasts were so massive that rocks and metal objects from the factory flew and hit several passersby. Some of them were seriously injured,” he added.
Major rescue operation
Ramdas Prajapati, Harda’s Additional Superintendent of Police, said that more than 600 personnel — including local police from Harda and the neighbouring districts, 100 personnel each from the National and State Disaster Response Forces, and about 30 fire tenders and ambulances each from at least five districts — are undertaking the rescue operation.
Mr. Prajapati, who was present at the spot, said that the operation was still being interrupted by continuous blasts within the debris. “There is still fire and explosives under the debris and as soon as we remove them with JCBs, blasts take place. So we are taking all precautions in the operation,” he said.
Videos of the accident posted online show chaotic scenes, with continuous blasts in the factory, objects flying, people jumping off the factory’s boundary wall and running around to save themselves, and many lying unconscious on the roads. Explosions were still taking place in the debris even after the fire had been doused, the videos showed.
Help desks have also been set up at the District Hospital and at the spot of the accident for people to report any missing persons or seek any kind of assistance. Several ambulances reached Bhopal’s AIIMS and Hamidiya Hospital after the Chief Minister directed officials to keep beds reserved and burn units on standby at the hospitals. Later in the evening, he also visited the Hamidiya Hospital to take stock of the situation.
Probe ongoing; prior violations
The Chief Minister formed a three-member high-level committee headed by Sanjay Dubey, Principal Secretary (Home), to investigate the incident, vowing to take strict action against those responsible. In a virtual meeting with the Commissioners of all divisions and the Collectors of all districts, Mr. Yadav directed them to report within 24 hours whether the firecracker factories in their areas have the valid licences and are functioning as per rules.
“The owners of the factory — Rajesh Agrawal, Pradeep Agrawal and Somesh Agrawal — are currently missing. Police has detained some of their family members to find out about their whereabouts,” said Mr. Parte, the SDM. He noted that the same factory had been sealed about four months ago after a probe by the District Magistrate had exposed some violations of rules, and added that the factory had only been reopened after the owners produced the relevant documents.
The district administration official cited above said that a fire incident had also occurred at the same factory about two years ago.
‘Protected by government’
Irshad Vali, Inspector-General of the Narmadapuram Range, told reporters that the owners had licences to run the factory. “But we will investigate if or how they were violating the permissions given with the licences,” he said.
The Leader of Opposition in the M.P. Assembly and Congress MLA Umang Singhar alleged that the owner of the factory was being protected by the government. “It is being said that the owner of the firecracker factory is associated with the BJP. This illegal factory was being run with the connivance, protection and cooperation of the government. Operating an illegal factory on such a large scale is not possible without the knowledge and cooperation of the government,” he wrote in a post on X. “Even before this, there have been several incidents of explosions and massive fires in this illegal firecracker factory. Despite this, the government did not take any notice and the illegal factory continued to operate, risking people’s lives,” he added.
Financial aid
Shortly after the news of the incident broke, the CM dispatched Cabinet Minister Uday Pratap Singh and various senior officials to Harda, and formed a six-member committee to oversee the rescue and relief works. The Chief Minister also announced financial aid of ₹4 lakh to the families of each of the deceased and ₹50,000 each to all of the injured.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed grief over the incident and offered condolences to the families of the dead.
“Distressed by the loss of lives due to the mishap at a cracker factory in Harda, Madhya Pradesh. Condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones. May those injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is assisting all those affected,” said an X post by the Prime Minister’s Office, adding that the next of kin of the deceased would receive ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, while the injured would each be given ₹50,000.
