Body parts scatter on highway after Dewas factory blast:Victims carried on shoulders; ambulances arrive after 72 calls

“Lift them… take them out quickly… someone call an ambulance. So many people have died here… and they are saying don’t make videos…” The pain and anger were visible on Thursday after a massive explosion ripped through a firecracker factory in Dewas district. Three workers were killed, while 25 others suffered injuries in the blast. Following the incident, the administration sealed the factory and detained factory owner Anil Malviya. The state government announced financial assistance of ₹4 lakh each for the families of the deceased and free treatment for the injured. When the Dainik Bhaskar team reached the spot after the accident, the condition of the victims was terrifying. Workers claimed ambulances arrived only after repeated calls for help. Three people died in the accident The powerful blast occurred around 11:30 am on Thursday at a firecracker factory in the Tonk Kalan area of Dewas district. Factory workers Dheeraj, Sunny and Sumit died in the accident. Of the 25 injured, 13 are in critical condition and have been admitted to hospitals in Dewas and Indore. Sound of explosion heard 2 km away in the village When the Dainik Bhaskar team reached the factory located near the Agra-Mumbai Highway, smoke was still rising from the site. Burn victims were being rushed to hospitals in ambulances. The factory, where nearly 500 people reportedly worked daily, appeared deserted. Only police personnel, administrative officials, municipal staff and villagers were present at the site. After the blast, many injured workers had lost their clothes, while the remaining fabric had melted into their skin. Several victims lay on the scorching ground with severe burns, screaming in pain. Co-workers were trying to comfort the injured by fanning them with pieces of cardboard and cloth. Since ambulances could not reach deep inside the factory premises, workers carried the injured on foot up to the highway. Tin shed flew and landed on the highway The force of the blast blew the factory’s tin shed onto the highway. Walls of the factory collapsed completely, and only iron pipes remained standing in the section where the explosion occurred. The area was reduced to rubble, with chemicals and gunpowder believed to be buried under the debris. Villagers present at the spot said the sound of the explosion was heard in villages nearly two kilometres away. Human body parts were reportedly scattered 20 to 25 feet from the site. Some remains fell on the highway, while others were found around the factory premises. Rescue teams collected them in sacks. Where gunpowder was made, turned into rubble Inside the factory, more than six separate blocks were visible, each assigned different tasks. The blast took place in the section where chemicals were mixed to make gunpowder. That entire block was completely destroyed. Two blocks away, work related to matchstick firecrackers was underway. Large quantities of firecrackers remained scattered there after the explosion. Water bottles, slippers and belongings of workers — most of them women — were seen lying around, indicating that many women were involved in packaging work. Workers were about to have lunch At the rear side of the factory, there was a 20×20-foot hall with more than 25 mattresses laid out for workers staying on the premises. Food items such as rotis and vegetables were still lying around, suggesting that workers had been preparing for lunch moments before the blast. Villager Gautam said a food vehicle had just arrived and lunch was about to begin when the explosion occurred. Some workers had collected their meals but did not get a chance to eat. According to him, several workers from Bihar had been living permanently inside the tin sheds on the factory premises. A large adjoining hall contained more than 200 small and large machines, most of them used for packaging gunpowder into pouches. After the blast, came out and saw smoke Eyewitness Rakesh Mandloi said his house is located a short distance from the factory. “At around 11 am, we suddenly heard a loud explosion. When I came outside, I saw smoke rising from the factory. Tin sheets were flying in the air. When we came closer, body parts were lying on the highway. Some people were running, while others were trying to help the injured,” he said. Other villagers said the factory was located close to the villages of Tonk Kalan and Kalma. The explosion was so powerful that utensils inside homes shook due to the impact. Body parts flew 25 feet from the highway The accident occurred beside the Agra-Mumbai National Highway. The explosion was so intense that parts of victims’ bodies, including hair and flesh, were thrown onto the road. Called 72 times, when one ambulance arrived Worker Shashikumar Paswan, a resident of Bihar, said he had been working at the factory for around two and a half months. He claimed the factory operated round the clock and around 500 to 600 workers came there daily. “At around 11 am, I was working in my block when I heard the explosion. Around 25 people were in the adjacent block. When I ran outside, many people were badly burnt. We immediately started helping them,” he said. Paswan claimed the blast occurred in a highly combustible gunpowder mixture known locally as “99”, which exploded due to the heat. “We called ambulances repeatedly. Different people together made around 72 calls before one ambulance finally arrived,” he alleged. Men get 400, women get 250 rupees daily wage Workers said the factory handled everything from gunpowder preparation to firecracker manufacturing. More than 30 labourers from outside the state reportedly stayed within the factory premises itself. Most of them fled after the blast. According to workers, men were paid around ₹400 per day, while women received ₹250. Payments were made weekly. Rising heat caused the blast Factory worker Mohammad Nasir said some workers had gone for lunch when aluminium powder exploded. “There was no proper water facility. The heat increased and that caused the explosion,” he said. Nasir added that many workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and nearby areas were employed there. He said a supervisor named “MD” had brought him from Bihar with promises of work. He claimed salaries varied between ₹16,000 and ₹18,000 per month depending on the work assigned. The factory is spread over more than 3 bighas A large crowd gathered outside the factory after the incident and questioned officials over safety arrangements. Villagers claimed firecrackers were manufactured and supplied daily from the unit, which spread over more than three bighas of land. They alleged operations had been running for the past eight months, even though construction of the factory was incomplete. Locals also claimed minor accidents had occurred earlier, but no major action was taken because there had been no casualties. Leader of Opposition said Not an accident, but administrative negligence
Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar termed the incident not just an accident, but “a horrifying example of administrative negligence and a corrupt system.” He said the deaths, reports of missing women workers and body parts being thrown 20–25 feet away made the scene deeply disturbing. Singhar also referred to villagers’ allegations that the factory had been operating illegally despite repeated complaints. “Poor labourers are risking their lives for daily wages of ₹250–400 while the administration remains silent. This is shameful and inhuman,” he said. He demanded strict action against factory operators, officials responsible for oversight and anyone allegedly providing protection to such operations.