Prerana Toshniwal, Pune
An illegal firecracker factory caught fire, leading to an explosion in Harda, Madhya Pradesh. This incident took place on Tuesday, 6th February, killing 11 people and over 200 people were left injured. Houses around the area and even passers-by were affected by the objects flying in their direction. Following this, nearly 100 houses were vacated for the residents’ safety.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X expressing his distress over the matter and announced Rs. 2 lakh to the next kin of each deceased person and Rs. 50,000 to every injured person from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). Chief Minister Mohan Yadav chaired an emergency meeting with senior officials and passed necessary instructions regarding the incident. Minister Uday Pratap Singh along with Minister Uday Pratap Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Ajit Kesari and Director General Home Guard Arvind Kumar rushed to Harda by helicopter, the CMO said in an official communication. The CM also announced an assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased. The entire cost of treatment of injured persons is to be borne by the state government.
The state also looked into other necessary arrangements like medical help and fire control. Burn units at hospitals in Indore, AIIMS in Bhopal and other hospitals there were directed to make necessary arrangements for the emergencies, officials said. Fire brigades were also rushed from the state capital, Bhopal, Indore, Betul, Hoshangabad, Bhairunda, Rehti and other urban bodies and institutions to tackle the blaze. The CMO also said 14 doctors had been immediately sent to Harda from nearby places like Narmadapuram.
Additionally, it was also stated that 20 ambulances were present in Harda and 50 more had been pressed into service this afternoon.
Videos surfaced online showing the fire with intermittent explosions taking place at the Harda factory site and people running to save themselves. Some people also shot videos of the fire accident while running from the spot and the roofs of their houses located a good distance away.