18 killed in Nagpur factory blast

At least 18 workers were charred to death, and 24 others were injured, most of them critically, in a powerful blast that tore through an explosives manufacturing factory in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district on Sunday morning, police said.

The explosion occurred at the detonator packing unit of SBL Energy Limited, a mining and industrial explosives manufacturer, at Raulgaon in Katol tehsil between 7 AM and 7.15 AM.

With one more person succumbing to injuries during treatment later in the day, the death toll has mounted to 18, a police officer said, adding that 24 injured workers are undergoing treatment at two hospitals in Nagpur.

The bodies were charred beyond recognition, and samples of the family members were being taken for DNA testing to ascertain the identities of the deceased, police said.

Inconsolable family members of the victims thronged the factory compound, located about 50 km from the district headquarters, for some news about their loved ones.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), along with officials from Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and Defence Information System for Security (DISS), carried out rescue operations, Fadnavis said.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident.

“I am deeply saddened by the news of the loss of lives in the explosion at a factory in Nagpur, Maharashtra. I express my profound condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured,” Murmu said in a post on X in Hindi.

PM Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

“The explosion at a factory in Nagpur, Maharashtra, is deeply distressing. My condolences to the families of the deceased. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. The local administration is assisting those affected,” Modi said in a post on X.

Fadnavis said the Maharashtra Government would provide Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased, while the concerned firm will extend financial aid to the families of those affected.

Representatives of SBL Energy Limited said that the blast occurred at the company’s detonator packing unit.

“The incident occurred in the packing area of the facility, where no active manufacturing operations were underway at the time. The exact cause remains under investigation, and we are cooperating fully with the concerned authorities,” the company said in a statement.

An internal review has been initiated, and appropriate corrective and preventive measures will be implemented based on the findings of the investigation, it said.

The company stated that ensuring all necessary assistance to the affected employees and their families is their immediate priority. In coordination with local authorities, the company is extending immediate financial assistance and bearing the full cost of medical treatment for the injured, it added.

Emergency response protocols were activated immediately, and the situation was under control, it said.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident at our facility in Katol, Nagpur district, and extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives,” the company said.

We remain committed to the highest standards of safety and transparency. Further updates will be shared as verified information becomes available, it added.

A medical status report from one of the hospitals stated that all 18 patients admitted to the facility are in the ICU in a critical condition. “They required urgent operative interventions with intensive care and management,” the facility stated.

Most of the patients have sustained severe mixed types of thermal burns ranging from 30 per cent to 80 per cent, with splinter injuries due to the blast.

“Some of the patients suffered hearing loss/deafness, and others have various mechanical surface wounds and long bone fractures,” according to Orange City Hospital and Research Institute, Nagpur (OCHRI).

The hospital stated that the OCHRI trauma team was activated immediately to manage the influx of patients.

The team is committed to treating these complex blast injuries with poly-trauma with rapid and specialised care, and the primary aim is to stabilise patients and prevent secondary complications.

Meanwhile, former Maharashtra home minister and NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh claimed that negligence in carrying out safety audits of firms manufacturing explosives has led to a rise in the number of blasts at such facilities in Nagpur district.

Deshmukh, a former MLA from Katol, said he had written to CM Fadnavis, Union ministers, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), and related departments six months ago requesting safety audits of such firms in Nagpur, but the matter was neglected.

He had written after explosions at units in Bazargaon in the district, he added.