A tragedy hit Harda in Madhya Pradesh when a fire engulfed a firecracker factory, killing eleven people and leaving around 200 others injured. The incident, which occurred in the heart of the city, triggered a series of explosions that reverberated across the region, sending shockwaves through the community.
Eyewitnesses recounted the harrowing scenes of chaos and devastation. "There was fire all around," Rukhsar Bano, a factory worker who narrowly escaped the fire, told news agency PTI.
"My colleague's three children are missing. I saw some children and other people lying dead."
The father of an eight-year-old boy, Raju, shared his anguish as he searched for his missing son. "I have not been able to find my son so far," he said, his voice trembling with emotion.
"More than 150 people worked at the factory, and I was lucky to escape unhurt."
The owners of the factory, identified as Somesh Aggarwal and Rajesh Aggarwal, have been booked for homicide not amounting to murder after an FIR was filed against them.
Workers at the workplace decried the lack of safety precautions, with one worker, Anoop Prajapati, recalling previous mishaps and expressing sorrow over the loss of his uncle in this latest disaster.
"Even in the past, there have been accidents," Anoop told Indian Express, rubbing his hands that were still covered in gunpowder. "The difference is that this time, people died."
“I fled in the chaos, but my uncle died,” he continued.
The first responders, including two fire tenders, arrived within 20 minutes of the blasts but were unable to proceed as the intensity of the flames grew. However, more firefighters and fire trucks from adjoining districts soon arrived and managed to douse the fire. It was only then that rescue workers could enter the factory, which was by then gutted. Several vehicles parked in the vicinity were also left mangled in the fire.
Most of the people who worked in the factory used to make 1,500–2,000 firecrackers on a daily basis. With a scarcity of jobs in the area, the firecracker factory was the main source of income for many people, and entire families worked in the two-story building.
