Vehicles slowed to a crawl on the busy Agra-Mumbai national highway on Thursday morning as half-burnt workers ran blindly onto the road. Commuters slammed brakes and villagers sprinted towards clouds of black smoke rising from a firecracker factory in Tonk Kala, Dewas.
Within moments, the busy highway turned into a corridor of horror. Mangled body parts lay scattered near the roadside, tin sheds had been blown across the stretch, and desperate cries for water and ambulances echoed through the area after a massive explosion ripped through the unit.
The factory, located right along the highway amid fields and scattered settlements, was bustling with workers when a deafening explosion ripped through the unit around 11 am. Residents said the blast was so powerful that tin sheds flew onto the highway and body parts were hurled several feet away.
“We thought a truck carrying explosives had blown up on the highway,” said Sita Bai, who lives near the factory. “The sound shook our entire house. When we came outside, smoke had covered the road and people were running while shouting for help.”
Eyewitnesses said panic spread instantly as labourers ran out of the burning factory in a dazed condition. Some collapsed near the highway divider while others cried in pain as fellow workers tried to pour water on their burns.
“There were injured people lying right on the roadside. We stopped vehicles and started taking them to hospitals because ambulances had not arrived,” said Raku Singh, a local villager who joined the rescue effort. “Some workers kept screaming that more people were trapped inside.”
“We heard two massive explosions and then saw metal sheets flying in the air,” said Sheka Mahant, who was among the first to reach the spot. “People from nearby villages and highway commuters rushed to help. Some workers had suffered such severe burns that even touching them was difficult, but everyone tried to save whoever they could.”
“Their skin was peeling off when we tried to take them to the hospital by picking them up,” said Sheka.
Villagers alleged that smaller accidents had occurred at the factory earlier too, but no serious action was taken. Following Thursday’s explosion, angry locals gathered outside the unit and confronted officials, accusing the operators of running the factory with poor safety measures despite the obvious risk posed by its location on a major national highway.
“The factory was right next to the road and trucks passed here throughout the day. This could have become an even bigger tragedy,” said a villager standing near the debris.
Hours after the blast, pieces of burnt material, twisted iron sheets and abandoned footwear still lay scattered near the highway as police teams and rescue workers combed through the wreckage searching for clues and possible survivors.
