9 killed in blast at explosives manufacturing factory in Nagpur

Nine people were killed and three others seriously injured in a blast at an explosives manufacturing factory in Maharashtra's Nagpur district on Sunday (December 17), police said.

The blast took place at 9 am in a cast booster unit of the Solar Industries in Bazaargaon area, a senior police official was quoted as saying by PTI.

Nine people were killed, he said.

The incident took place at the unit, located 40 km from here, causing severe damage to the building, an official at Kondhali police station said, adding that 12 workers were present in the unit at the time of the explosion.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a post on X termed the incident as unfortunate and condoled the death of the nine people.

The state government will provide an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has approved the decision, he said.

Fadnavis said nine people, including six women, died in the blast at Solar Industries.

It is a company that manufactures drones and explosives for the armed forces, he said.

The state government stands firmly with the families of the victims on this sad occasion, he said.

"I am in touch with the Nagpur collector and superintendent of police. The IG, SP and collector are at the site," Fadnavis added.

Solar Industries senior general manager Ashish Shrivastav told reporters that the incident occurred in the building where boosters used in coal mines are produced.

The incident took place when sealing work of the product was going on, he said.

Prima facie, nine people have died. The injured workers have been rushed to hospital, he said, adding that all the workers have been evacuated from the building.

The police and administration personnel along with the management staff are at the spot, the official said.

According to sources, explosives used in coal mining blast were manufactured at this factory.

The nine deceased have been identified as Yuvraj Charode, Omeshwar Macchirke, Mita Uikey, Aarti Sahare, Swetali Marbate, Pushpa Manapure, Bhagyashree Lonare, Rumita Uikey and Mausam Patle, a police official said.

The other injured workers were rushed to a hospital. Their condition is reported to be critical, the official said.

Authorities were assessing the extent of damage, conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion and ensuring safety of the surrounding areas, Superintendent of Police Harsh Poddar said.

(With agency inputs)