At least eight workers were killed in a blast at a munitions factory in western India, government officials said Friday, with several others still trapped inside the building.
The explosion happened Friday morning in Bhandara, around 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of India’s financial hub Mumbai, and caused the factory’s roof to collapse.
“In an unfortunate incident today, a blast at Bhandara munitions factory has killed at least eight people and injured seven others,” India’s cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari said.
Gadkari, a lawmaker from Maharashtra state where the explosion occurred, offered his condolences.
Maharashtra’s chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said earlier on X that up to 14 workers had been trapped after the blast and emergency rescue operations were underway.
भंडारा जिल्ह्यातील ऑर्डिनन्स फॅक्टरीमधील स्फोटाच्या घटनेत छत कोसळून 13 ते 14 कामगार अडकल्याचे वृत्त आहे. त्यातील 5 जणांना सुरक्षित बाहेर काढण्यात आले आहे. जिल्हाधिकारी आणि पोलिस अधीक्षक हे घटनास्थळी असून सर्व प्रकारची मदत पुरवण्यात येत आहे. बचाव कार्यासाठी एसडीआरएफ तसेच नागपूर…
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 24, 2025
Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh said he was “deeply saddened” by the blast.
“My condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Singh said on X.
Industrial disasters are common in India, with experts blaming poor planning and lax enforcement of safety rules.
Nine workers were killed in a 2023 blast at a factory in Maharashtra that manufactured drones and explosives.
Deeply saddened to know about the blast ot Ordnance Factory at Bhandara, Maharashtra. My condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.
The rescue teams are deployed at the site. All efforts are being made to provide assistance to those…
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 24, 2025
