BHOPAL: A major inferno triggered by several blasts at a firecracker factory in Harda district of central Madhya Pradesh reportedly killed at least 11 people and injured over 175 on Tuesday.
The blaze began at around 11.30 am in the cracker factory owned by an Agrawal family in Magardha Road area – around 2 km from Harda district headquarters.
Seven of the deceased have been identified as Bano Bi, Priyanu, Mubin, Anuj, Abid, Usha and Mukesh. While ten persons died in Harda district only, one person died while being rushed to Bhopal for life-saving treatment. Out of the 175-plus injured, over 25 critically injured people were rushed to Bhopal.
The MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav who met the injured at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS-Bhopal) confirmed the deaths of 11 persons. “One of the deceased succumbed to injuries while being rushed to Bhopal. I’ve met nine people out of the 12 brought at AIIMS-Bhopal. I’ll go to Harda district after the Vidhan Sabha session on Wednesday.”
With many dozen people being present in the multi-storied factory at the time of the blasts and many of the injured being in critical condition, the casualty figures are likely to rise.
While an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each was announced by the CM for the families of the deceased, PM Narendra Modi, while expressing condolences to the bereaved families, announced Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured, from the PM National Relief Fund.
A high-level probe was announced by the CM, to be carried out by a three-member committee headed by Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Dube and having as members ADG-Intelligence Jaideep Prasad and Secretary (PWD) RK Mehra.
The CM also assured stern action in the matter once the responsibility was fixed. “Directions have been issued to conduct detailed inspection of all such factories across the state, followed by submission of the report in a day. Exemplary action will be taken against those found responsible for the mishap.”
The opposition Congress’s state unit while demanding Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia for families of each deceased, sought a judicial enquiry into the matter. A two-member fact-finding committee comprising Harda districts MLAs Ramkishore Dogane and Abhijit Shah has been formed by MP Congress to probe the matter.
“As per information available with us, there have been mishaps at the same factory in the past too, after which the factory was sealed by the local administration. Only a judicial probe by a High Court judge can determine who was behind the resumption of operations at the factory on the order of then Narmadapuram Divisional Commissioner in 2021-2022,” state Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said.
Meanwhile, according to reports from Harda district, around 1000 personnel, including teams of NDRF and SDRF, are engaged in rescue operations at the site of the accident.
Poclain machines have been pressed into action at the site where the entire multi-storied factory was flattened by the fire and blasts.
According to reports from ground zero, the intermittent blasts along with fire also caused enormous damage to houses in the neighbourhood of the factory.
Visuals of people running in panic, jumping from the first story of buildings, and human organs strewn around the site, narrated the magnitude of the ghastly incident. Many houses around the factory too have been vacated.
The powerful blasts not only shook other areas of Harda town, but its impact was reportedly felt in the form of tremors in Seoni-Malwa area of adjoining Narmadapuram district, which was around 30 km away.