Bhandara Ordnance Factory Blast: Mumbai: A massive explosion at an arms production line near Nagpur this morning killed 8 people and injured 7 others. The blast took place in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district. Union minister Nitin Gadkari confirmed the deaths at an event in the afternoon. A major accident has taken place at the arms plant in Bhandara, killing eight people and injuring seven others. This is preliminary information, he said while requesting people to observe a minute’s silence to pay respect to those who lost their lives in this “horrific incident”. District Collector Sanjay Kolte had earlier said the blast took place at the LTP section of the manufacturing plant around 10.30 am. Firefighters and medical staff were present at the spot to control the situation. This led to the roof collapsing and over a dozen workers were trapped inside. Initial efforts found three people alive and one dead. An excavator machine was used to dig out the debris, the senior official said.
The impact was so intense that it was heard from 5 km away. Videos taken from a distance showed thick smoke billowing out of the plant.
In his last inspection, Chief Secretary Devendra Fadnavis had said that top officials were present at the site and rescue teams from Nagpur would reach there soon. He had assured that rescue teams were ready to help if needed.
