A powerful explosion ripped through an unlicensed firecracker manufacturing unit in Ahmedabad’s Vastral area on Saturday afternoon, killing at least eight people and injuring several others, in what officials say may turn out to be an even bigger tragedy as search operations continue at the site.
The blast occurred around 3:24 PM at a fireworks unit near Mehmudpura on Ramol-Gatrad Road, right behind the Rapid Action Force (RAF) camp. The explosion was powerful enough to be heard several kilometres away and left bodies and injured workers scattered across the fields surrounding the site, some as far as 50 metres from the point of impact.
RAF’s Quick Reaction Team was among the first responders, reaching the spot within 20 minutes of the blast. “We first heard the sound of a massive explosion at 15:24 hours. Upon hearing this, our camp’s Quick Reaction Team, along with an ambulance, a fire tender, and an alert company, responded immediately, reaching the location by 15:45 hours,” said Commandant Officer Ritul Dah of RAF 100, who confirmed that reports so far indicate eight fatalities and eight injuries, with the search still underway.
Fire brigade teams, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation staff and 108 emergency ambulance services joined the rescue effort, pulling out both the injured and the dead from the debris and the surrounding open fields. The injured were rushed to L G Hospital and Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where several are said to be in critical condition.
Just 12-15 workers, an unlicensed unit
According to Joint Commissioner of Police Jaipal Singh Rathore, only 12 to 15 people were believed to be working at the site when the blast occurred, in the open, on what was essentially an unauthorised firecracker-making operation. “Preliminary information suggests that 12 to 15 people were working at the site… Police are currently verifying the whereabouts of the individuals running this facility and checking whether they held a valid license. If any violations are found, the police will register an FIR and take strict, appropriate action,” Rathore said.
That FIR has since been filed. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sharad Singhal confirmed that a case has been registered at Ramol police station under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita — which deals with culpable homicide — along with provisions of the Explosives Act. The factory’s operator, identified as Mehul Dodia, has been named as the main accused, along with three to four others.
Civil Defence Warden Pushkar Bhai Kalal, who rushed to the site after hearing the blast while having a meal nearby, described chaotic scenes of rescue. He said he and the RAF team pulled out two people in extremely serious condition first, followed by several more, with roughly 10 to 12 people found to be in critical condition by the time the site had been fully combed.
Compensation announced from both Centre and state
Within hours of the tragedy, both the state and central governments announced financial assistance for the victims’ families. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced Rs 4 lakh for the family of each person killed and Rs 50,000 for the injured. “The news of the accident that occurred in a firecracker factory in Ahmedabad is extremely heartbreaking. I pray to God that the souls of the deceased who lost their lives in this tragedy find peace. I express my deepest condolences to their family members,” the Chief Minister said, adding that the local administration was extending all necessary assistance and treatment to the affected.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased, along with Rs 50,000 for the injured. In a message posted online, the Prime Minister said he was “extremely saddened” by the loss of lives and was praying for the speedy recovery of those injured.
What comes next
Senior officials from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the city police continue to oversee rescue and relief operations at the site, even as questions mount over how an unlicensed firecracker unit was allowed to operate so close to a residential and security establishment area in the first place. With search operations still underway in the fields around the blast site, officials have cautioned that the death toll could rise further as the full scale of the tragedy becomes clear.
The investigation, expected to focus heavily on the factory’s licensing status and the safety conditions under which the workers were employed, is likely to determine whether the tragedy could have been prevented altogether.
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