Nine killed in blast at explosives company in Nagpur

NAGPUR: An explosion occurred early Sunday morning at Solar Industries India Limited company in Bazargaon near Kondhali, approximately 60 km away from Nagpur, claiming the lives of nine individuals, including at least three women, according to preliminary information.
The workers were on duty during the morning shift when the blast resulted in this tragic incident.

Sources suggest that the death toll might rise throughout the day.
It's reported that the explosion likely occurred around 9 am, but the response from government agencies and rescue operations started a couple of hours late.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis announced via Twitter that the government has decided to provide an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the nearest kin of the blast victims. CM Eknath Shinde has also pledged support to assist the families of the victims.

Fadnavis further confirmed that the company manufactures drones and explosives for security units.
A senior police official stated that the police arrived at the scene promptly to control the situation and initiate rescue operations. However, they had to await the arrival of other departments.
Vipin Itankar, the Nagpur district collector, mentioned that the delayed rescue operations were due to mandatory safety protocols being followed by petroleum and explosives experts. "The petroleum and explosives experts will investigate the accident and submit a report to me," Itankar stated while overseeing the rescue efforts at the site.
SP Rural Harssh A Poddar confirmed that there were at least five fatalities initially, but the exact death toll is yet to be determined. "We have redirected our forces from other areas to the site and are closely monitoring the situation," Poddar added.
Former Home Minister and Katol MLA Anil Deshmukh has also arrived at the location.