18 workers dead, 24 injured in blast at explosives unit in Nagpur rural

Nagpur: At least 18 workers, majority of them women, were killed and 24 others injured, 18 of them critically, in a devastating blast that ripped through a detonator manufacturing unit of SBL Energy Ltd in Raulgaon village in Katol tehsil, 30km off Nagpur, on Sunday morning. The explosion reduced large sections of the plant to rubble, with towering flames and thick black smoke visible from a distance. The explosion occurred around 7am in the ‘nonel' (non-electric) detonator crimping (commonly referred to as packing) section during the morning shift (6am to 2.30pm), when about 40-45 workers are usually on duty. A few workers managed to flee as parts of the structure collapsed and debris flew across the premises. Localities in the vicinity were also left rattled. Bodies were charred beyond recognition by the time rescue operations started. Inconsolable family members of the workers thronged the factory compound for some news about their loved ones.Sources said ambulances and fire brigade vehicles faced difficulty accessing the site due to poor road connectivity. Multi-agency rescue teams, including the NDRF, SDRF, local police, and fire brigade units, rushed to the scene. Firefighters eventually brought the blaze under control, while rescue personnel pulled out the injured and recovered bodies from the debris under extremely hazardous conditions.The injured were admitted to various hospitals in Nagpur. Six workers from Raulgaon under Kalmeshwar police station limits - Gayatri Irpachi, Kavita Uike, Seema Waghmare, Bharati Shende, Archana Pethe, and Suchita Bagde - were admitted to a private hospital in Awasthi Nagar in Nagpur. Two critically injured women, Varsha Tekam and Vaishali Sathe, were shifted to another private hospital in Khamla, where a total of 18 injured workers are undergoing treatment. Most of the patients have suffered severe mixed types of thermal burns.The bodies were sent to Govt Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur, for autopsy. Due to severe burns and disfigurement, DNA sampling was required for identification, and relatives were called to assist in the process."The explosion occurred in the section where detonators are crimped. Regular operations had not yet begun for the day and the workers were only making preparations ahead of the morning shift when the blast took place," say company sources. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation of Rs2 lakh each for the kin of those dead in the blast and Rs50,000 each for the injured. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said state govt would provide Rs5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased, while the company management will also give financial aid to the families of those affected.Following visits by revenue and guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and MLA Ashish Jaiswal, authorities ordered a detailed inquiry to determine the cause of the explosion and review safety measures at explosives manufacturing units.Kalmeshwar police had initially registered an accidental death case. However, sources said experts from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) submitted a preliminary report, based on which a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder will be registered against concerned management personnel. An officer of deputy superintendent of police rank will lead the investigation.SP (Nagpur Rural) Harssh A Poddar assured that a transparent investigation would be conducted based on expert findings.Senior officials, including Nagpur district collector Vipin Itankar, IG (Nagpur Range) Sandip Patil, SP Harssh A Poddar, BJP MLA Charansingh Thakur, and other administrative officers visited the site and hospitals. Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh also met the injured and consoled bereaved families at the medical college.Fadnavis described the incident as "extremely unfortunate and tragic". In a post on X, he stated that he was coordinating with the local administration. "Orders have been issued for a detailed inquiry into this incident," CM mentioned on his X handle.