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The death toll in the massive fire that broke out inside a firecracker factory in Madhya Pradesh's Harda district on Tuesday morning has risen to 11 with around 174 injured, an official said.
"So far, we have rescued 174 people. We have not received any missing reports yet. We will check the debris to see if there are any bodies there... 40-50 per cent of the debris has been removed... As of now, there are 11 casualties... There are 60-70 ambulances here, more than 50 fire tenders, SDRF and NDRF teams are here... Around 1000 people from different fields are involved in the rescue operations," Narmadapuram Divisional Commissioner Pawan Kumar Sharma told ANI. Earlier, Inspector General of Police (IG) Narmadapuram Zone, Irshad Wali said, "An FIR has been registered in the incident. There have been 10 casualties, 150 injured in the incident. Debris is being removed, to be cleared by deployment of additional machines. The fire is totally under control. The nearby houses have been vacated; the area cordoned off." The officer added that the injured were referred to Narmapuram and the state capital Bhopal, Bhopal, adding that hopefully the rescue operation would be completed overnight. Meanwhile, Dewas Collector Rishav Gupta said, "A team of six doctors and ten ambulances have been sent from Dewas district... Fire brigades from the nearby municipalities are also sent. Water tankers have also been sent. Local hospitals are on alert to treat any patient who comes here from Harda district." Due to the massive explosion, the entire area was engulfed in black smoke with window panes of houses and shops located in the vicinity getting shattered. Locals recounted that it felt as if an earthquake had hit Harda. Following the incident, the chief minister announced assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and free treatment to the injured persons. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also condoled the loss of lives in the tragic Harda factory blast and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each of the deceased. PM Modi has also announced Rs 50,000 for the injured. "Distressed by the loss of lives due to the mishap at a cracker factory in Harda, Madhya Pradesh. Condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones. May those injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is assisting all those affected. Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured will be given Rs. 50,000," the PMO said in a post on X. (ANI)
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