A factory producing explosives in the western Indian city of Nagpur was hit by a blast on Sunday, resulting in the death of at least 17 people, with 18 others injured, authorities reported.
The factory, which is located around 800 km (500 miles) from the capital of the state of Maharashtra, Mumbai, has witnessed ongoing rescue efforts, with authorities reporting multiple casualties.
The blast was described as “extremely unfortunate and tragic” by the Chief Minister of the state of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, in a post on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which has been rebranded as X.
According to reports, an official investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the blast, which has resulted in the death of at least 17 people, with 18 others injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has termed the blast as “deeply distressing.”
In a statement released on Sunday, his office reported that the central government was monitoring the situation and was working to assist the local authorities in the ongoing efforts to provide relief to the victims of the blast, with the injured sent best wishes for a speedy recovery.
This incident occurred only a day after a blast was reported at a firecracker factory located in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, resulting in the deaths of 21 people.
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Accidents related to industrial activities, especially those related to fireworks, explosives, and chemical plants, have been a regular phenomenon in India, which is often attributed to the lack of proper safety standards and the absence of proper regulation of the same.
As per the authorities, the injured were taken to nearby hospitals for immediate medical attention, and the situation was under control to address the consequences of the explosion that took place.
There were no further casualties reported after the initial rescue operations were concluded late Sunday evening. It was still not known whether the operations were properly sanctioned or not.
India has seen many industrial explosion cases reported from various parts of the country recently.
In the year 2025, a firework factory explosion was reported from the western state of India, resulting in the deaths of 21 people, which reflected the loopholes that exist in the proper enforcement of safety regulations.
The site of the Nagpur explosion was secured by the local police and the disaster response team, who made preliminary assessments to ascertain the extent of damage to the structure and the presence of any further danger.
As Fadnavis wrote in his X post, “An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the exact reason behind the explosion and to identify the lapses in the operational safety.”
Eyewitnesses in the area reported that the explosion was sudden and intense, causing buildings in the area to shake and emit clouds of smoke into the sky.
People in the area reported hearing the explosion from several kilometers away, which immediately prompted the response of emergency teams such as firefighters, paramedics, and the local police.
The authorities have advised people in the area to avoid the site of the explosion while emergency teams continue to look for possible survivors and investigate the site further.
Hospitals in Nagpur reported that they were on high alert and had deployed additional medical personnel to attend to the injured workers.
The central government has previously come out with guidelines regarding hazardous industrial activities, which cover storage of combustible materials, the need to conduct a safety audit, as well as the need to have an evacuation plan in case of an emergency.
The enforcement of these regulations, however, has been inconsistent in different states, with sporadic checks carried out to assess the extent of compliance.
This has been cited by analysts and safety experts as one of the contributing factors to the repeated industrial accidents in the country’s manufacturing industry.
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The blast on Sunday has been the latest in a series of deadly industrial accidents in the country in recent times, highlighting the issue of safety concerns in the industry.
In many of these accidents, the investigations carried out by the authorities have pointed to a number of factors, such as overcrowding of the facilities, improper handling of flammable materials, as well as the use of outdated equipment.
The Maharashtra government has assured its cooperation in the federal investigation, with Fadnavis declaring that “any violation of safety laws would be looked into and would be addressed.”
It has been suggested that the investigation would comprise interviewing the surviving workers, checking the facility’s records, and assessing the compliance of the facility with state and national safety laws.
The office of the Prime Minister, Mr. Modi, has announced that the national response mechanism to the disaster has been activated, with teams providing logistical assistance and medical care to the people impacted by the accident.
As the investigation into the accident is underway, the identities of the victims have not been disclosed due to the process of notifying the families of the deceased.