At least 10 people have been killed and around 80 injured on Tuesday in a massive explosion in a fireworks factory at Harda in India's Madhya Pradesh state.
Right after the explosion, the Indian media displayed pictures and videos of a tower of flames and dozens of ambulances that were dispatched to remove the injured. Helicopters from the army were also requested.
An employee of the Harda district factory stated: “We can confirm seven deaths so far", requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. "We have 65 injured admitted here and have referred 10 others to big hospitals."
About 15 fire engines were fighting the intense fire, according to senior district officer Kailash Chand Parte, who was directing rescue attempts from the facilities.
“At least eight people had very serious injuries. We are here at the site focused on rescue work and sending people to hospitals so we can immediately confirm the number of dead,” Parte told AFP. "We have managed to rescue 70 to 75 people so far with serious injuries. Right now most of them are rushed to the local hospitals."
According to him, 200 to 300 workers were working in the factory, adding that they were not aware how many people were inside the compound at the time of the explosion.
“Because of the intensity of the blast, almost 10 buildings around the complex have been damaged. We are working on the site with 15 fire engines but still the fire is not under control."
These types of blast incidents often occur in illegal fire factories in India.
The chief minister of the state, Mohan Yadav, described the explosion reports as very sad news and stated that all the hospitals burn units and doctors must take necessary precautions in this regard.
