Death Toll In Bhandara Ordnance Factory Blast Climbs To 8 As 5 Injured, CM Fadnavis Announces Rs 5 Lakh Ex Gratia

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has announced a financial assistance of ₹5 lakh to the kin of those killed in the ordnance factory blast in Bhandara.

At least eight workers were killed and five others were injured in a massive explosion at an ordnance factory in Bhandara, Maharashtra.

Source : PTI

Bhandara Ordnance Factory Blast: The death toll in the blast at the ordnance factory in eastern Maharashtra's Bhandara climbed to eight, while five others have sustained injuries. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also expressed condolences to the bereaved families and assured all efforts to provide assistance to the affected were being made.

The blast took place around 10:40 AM in LTPE building number 23 in HEX division (LTPE) at the factory located at Jawahar Nagar. As many as 13 people were working in the unit, where low-temperature plastic explosives are made, at the time of the blast. Pictures taken after the explosion showed a huge cloud of smoke rising above the destroyed ordnance unit.

"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that financial assistance of ₹ 5 lakh will be provided to the kin of those killed in the ordnance factory accident in Bhandara district," Maharashtra CMO stated in a post on X.

मुख्यमंत्री देवेंद्र फडणवीस यांनी भंडारा जिल्ह्यातील ऑर्डिनन्स फॅक्टरी दुर्घटनेतील मृतांच्या वारसांना ₹5 लाख आर्थिक सहाय्य देण्यात येईल, असे जाहीर केले आहे.@Dev_Fadnavis#Maharashtra #Bhandara #ordnancefactory https://t.co/lUVhSb76Lo

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) January 24, 2025

Nagpur Range IG Dilip Patil Bhujbal said that nearly five tonnes of RDX is still present under the debris, which will be removed safely in phase 2. He also said that an SOP would be created to avoid such an incident from happening again.

#WATCH | Bhandara Ordnance Factory blast | Bhandara, Maharashtra: Nagpur Range IG Dilip Patil Bhujbal says, "Today, at around 11 am, a huge explosion took place at the Ordnance factory in Bhandara. The officials reached the spot immediately. The search and rescue operations were… pic.twitter.com/O3c6moYBkh

— ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2025

The death toll was updated after the rescue operations ended after nearly eight hours. In a statement issued late evening, the ordnance unit said that an inquiry committee has been constituted to probe into the incident. The explosion was so powerful that the building where it took place was reduced to rubbles.

Following the blast, a National Disaster Response Force team, fire brigade, medical team, and factory's rescue and relief team, rushed to the spot and immediately started a rescue operation. A press release issued by the NDRF that specialised equipment was used for the rescue operation, while ensuring the safety of everyone involved.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was deeply saddened by the incident. "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," he wrote in a post on X.

"The rescue teams are deployed at the site. All efforts are being made to provide assistance to those who are affected," Singh had said.

The deceased workers have been identified as Chandrashekar Goswami (59), Manoj Meshram (55), Ajay Nagdeve (51), Laxman Kelwade (38), Dharma Rangari (35), Abhishek Chaurasia (35), Sanjay Karemore (32), and Ankit Barai (20). Those who are being treated at hospitals for their injuries are N P Wanjari (55), Sanjay Raut (51), Jaydeep Banerjee (42), Rajesh Badwaik (33), and Sunil Kumar Yadav (24), PTI reported.

According to Nagpur Range IG Dilip Patil Bhujbal, two of the injured have been shifted to Nagpur, while the remaining three are being treated in Bhandara.