A little after 7 on Sunday morning, a blast tore through the detonator packing section of an explosives plant at Raulgaon village in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district. At least 17 workers died. Police and officials put the injured at 18, though one report carried a higher count of 18 dead and 24 hurt.
The unit belongs to SBL Energy Limited, a maker of mining and industrial explosives. The explosion came between 7:00 and 7:15 am, in Katol tehsil. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force went in to search the wrecked structure, joined by the State Disaster Response Force and officials from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation. Nagpur District Collector Vipin Itankar and Superintendent of Police Harrsh Podar arrived soon after to run the relief effort, and police sealed off the area.
Burns, and bodies beyond recognition
Police said the bodies were charred so badly that relatives’ samples were being collected for DNA testing. All 18 patients admitted to one hospital are in intensive care in critical condition. Orange City Hospital and Research Institute in Nagpur said most have mixed thermal burns covering 30 per cent to 80 per cent of the body, plus splinter injuries. “Some of the patients suffered hearing loss/deafness, and others have various mechanical surface wounds and long bone fractures,” the hospital said.
The women of three villages
Most of the dead were women from Raulgaon, Khedi and Dhavlapur. Kanta Chachane, 42, lost her 26-year-old daughter, Mangeshri Yeskar, who worked in a different unit. She said a huge explosion around 7 am was followed by blasts for nearly an hour and a half, as workers ran out and the injured were carried away.
Sunita Salame, 32, of Khedi, had worked at the factory for a year to support her family. “Her death has left the three girls orphaned,” said her brother, Ishwar Masram. Jyotsna Shendre, 30, also from Khedi and also a year into the job, leaves two daughters and a son, Mahesh. In Dhavlapur, 31-year-old Pratibha Walke had worked there for a year and a half. Her husband Suresh was on duty in another unit and survived. He now has two children to raise alone.
Compensation and questions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 2 lakh for the kin of each person killed and Rs 50,000 for each injured person, from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Maharashtra would pay Rs 5 lakh to each bereaved family, with the company also providing aid, and ordered a thorough investigation. President Droupadi Murmu expressed grief.
SBL Energy told PTI the incident happened in the packing area, “where no active manufacturing operations were underway at the time.” It said it is cooperating with authorities, has started an internal review, is paying immediate financial help and is covering the full cost of treatment for the injured. Early findings pointed to a technical malfunction or accidental ignition while handling explosive material, though officials stressed the cause is still under investigation. Forensic teams are examining debris and equipment.
Anil Deshmukh, a former state home minister and former Katol MLA, blamed lax safety audits for a rise in blasts at such units in the district. He said he wrote to Fadnavis, Union ministers and the safety organisation six months ago asking for audits after explosions at units in Bazargaon, and the request was ignored.
The Nagpur blast came a day after a fatal explosion at a firecracker unit in Andhra Pradesh.
Sources
- Nagpur Factory Explosion Leaves 17 Dead, 18 Injured; NDRF Leads Rescue Efforts Nagpur Explosives Factory Blast Kills 17, Injures 18 at SBL Energy Limited Unit
- 18 killed, 24 injured in Nagpur explosives factory blast
- Nagpur Factory Blast Kills 17; PM Modi Announces ₹2 Lakh Aid for Victims' Families – The CSR Journal
