BHOPAL: At least three were killed and 25 injured in a fire at an alleged illegal firecracker factory in Tonkkalan village of Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district on Thursday, officials said.
At around 11:30 am, a sudden explosion at the factory triggered a fire while dozens of workers were working inside.
According to inspector general (Ujjain Range) Rakesh Gupta, "Till now, three deaths have been confirmed, while 12 injured have been admitted at the Dewas District Hospital." He added 12 others were critically injured and have been referred to Indore for life-saving treatment.
As many are in critical condition, the death toll is likely to rise, official sources said.
Senior police and administrative officials reached the spot. Rescue and relief works are underway.
Local residents claimed that firecrackers were being manufactured illegally at the factory, and a massive explosion occurred there.
"Tremors were felt in our houses. We saw bodies and broken sheds flying like kites in the air. Entire scene was very frightening," said Rakesh Mandloi, a local.
Residents said the powerful blasts sent body parts of the injured and dead flying, which were found scattered on the main road nearly 25-30 ft away from the factory.
According to sources present on the spot, incident happened just 15-20 minutes before the lunch break for workers.
Videos of injured workers with severe burns being rushed in ambulances to hospitals in Dewas and Indore, narrated the magnitude of the blasts-fire inside the factory. Another video showed debris being cleared by a JCB machine.