Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed grief over the deaths in a massive explosion and fire at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Ahmedabad and announced ex gratia assistance from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the victims’ families.
At least eight people were killed and several others injured in the blast at the firecracker factory located on Ramol-Gatrad Road behind the Rapid Action Force (RAF) camp in the Vastral area of Ahmedabad on Saturday afternoon.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Extremely saddened to hear about the loss of lives due to a mishap at a fireworks factory in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected.”
“An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000,” he added.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also expressed condolences over the tragedy and announced an additional ex gratia of ₹4 lakh for the families of each deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured.
Commandant of RAF-100, Ritul Dah, said the force responded immediately after hearing the explosion at around 3:24 pm.
“We first heard the sound of a massive explosion at 15:24 hours. Our Quick Reaction Team, along with an ambulance, a fire tender and an alert company, reached the spot by 3:45 pm. During the search operation, we found a large number of injured people and several bodies scattered across the surrounding fields up to 50 metres from the site. Our teams immediately shifted the injured to hospitals and assisted in moving the deceased,” he said.
Dah said rescue operations were continuing in coordination with the police and fire brigade and confirmed that eight people had died while eight others were injured.
Joint Commissioner of Police Jaipal Singh Rathore said preliminary investigations indicated that around 12 to 15 people were working at the factory when the explosion occurred.
“Rescue operations were carried out by police teams, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation personnel and 108 emergency services. So far, several people have been admitted to hospitals, some of them in critical condition. Police are verifying whether the operators possessed a valid licence. If any violations are found, strict legal action will be taken,” he said.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sharad Singhal said an FIR has been registered under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Explosives Act against Mehul Dodia and three to four others.
“The rescue operation remains our top priority, and we are ensuring that all injured persons receive proper medical treatment. Simultaneously, an FIR has been registered under the BNS and the Explosives Act. We expect to apprehend all the accused shortly,” Singhal said.
(With agency inputs)
