MP firecracker blaze: 'Can't find my son'; anxious worker hunts for missing child who got him food
Eleven people have died and 63 injured as a massive fire broke out after series of explosion in a firecracker unit in Harda. Several people are feared trapped in and around the affected unit
Even as the fire continues to rage at the firecracker factory in Harda in Madhya Pradesh and intermittent explosions are being heard, a worker continues to frantically search for his son who had visited him just before the blast happened.
"I have not been able to find my son so far," said the visibly worried Raju, who works at the firecracker unit. His eight-year-old son had brought him food and has now missing after the series of explosion in the firecrackers factory led to a massive fire.
11 people killed, rescue efforts on
Eleven people were killed and 63 others injured in the incident at the firecrackers unit, located in Bairagarh locality on the outskirts of Harda town, about 150 km from the state capital Bhopal, officials said. Harda Collector Rishi Garg told PTI that rescue efforts were underway, with several people feared trapped in and around the affected unit. Efforts to control the fire were ongoing at the time of reporting.
A number of videos of the incident surfaced on social media showing the fire with intermittent explosions taking place at the site and people running helter-skelter to save themselves.
'My son ran ahead of me'
In some videos, people were heard saying the body parts of victims got scattered far away from the spot. Raju told reporters that an explosion took place at the factory the moment his son delivered food to him.
"The explosion occurred as my son Ganesh delivered the tiffin for me. He ran ahead of me, but I have not been able to find him so far," the man said in an emotionally choked voice.
He said more than 150 people worked in the unit and that he fled to safety following the incident. Some eyewitnesses claimed that materials blown away from the unit also hit some vehicles passing from a road near it.
Sound of explosions
They claimed the sound of the explosions was even heard 20-25 kilometres away from the spot. Some people shot videos of the fire while running away from the spot and from the roofs of houses located a long distance away.
Locals claimed some houses located nearby were also damaged in the incident.
(With agency inputs)