At least 10 people have been killed and 75 others injured in a giant explosion at an illegal firework factory in India’s central state of Madhya Pradesh.
Video footage aired on Indian television channels on Tuesday depicted a towering inferno following the detonation at the firework manufacturing facility located in Madhya Pradesh’s in Bairagarh village of Harda.
The Times of India (TOI) reported a confirmed tragic loss of eleven lives, while numerous ambulances have been dispatched and military helicopters summoned to facilitate the evacuation of the injured.
“These are the people who had died mainly of stampede after the blast, we are yet to reach the actual blast site as fire is on and fire-fighters are working to douse the fire”, Harda Kotwali police station in charge, Abdul Raees Khan told TOI.
Kailash Chand Parte, a senior district official responsible for coordinating the rescue operations at the factory, stated that approximately 15 fire engines were engaged in combating the intense inferno, which has still not been doused.
“The fire is still not under control and we have around 15 fire engines and many rescue workers at the site,” Parte was quoted as saying.
“At least eight people had very serious injuries… we are here at the site and focused on rescue work and sending people to the hospitals, so we can’t immediately confirm the number of dead,” Parte told AFP.
It is feared that people might be still trapped inside the factory, which according to Parte had around 200-300 workers working at the facility.
The blast that occurred at the factory was so intense that its effects were felt within a radius of 15 kilometers.
The fire triggered multiple explosions in the nearby region, torching several houses in the neighborhood.
The tragedy has been acknowledged by the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, who has stated that major hospitals in the affected areas have been instructed to “make necessary preparations”.
