A devastating explosion at SBL Explosives Ltd in Raulgaon village, Kalmeshwar taluka, 35 km from Nagpur, claimed at least 17 lives and left 15 workers critically injured on Sunday morning. The blast ripped through the ammunition manufacturing unit around 6:45 am, just as the morning shift of nearly 35 workers began under two supervisors.
The facility produces industrial explosives like detonators and cartridges for mining and infrastructure projects. Massive flames engulfed the site within minutes, prompting frantic rescue efforts by fire brigades, Kalmeshwar police, and district teams. Ambulances rushed the injured to Nagpur hospitals, while authorities cooled the area to prevent secondary blasts.
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Inspector General Sandip Patil noted ongoing rescues made exact casualty counts challenging. Superintendent Harssh A. Poddar announced a thorough technical probe supervised by seniors.
This tragedy echoes past incidents, including a 2023 Solar Industries blast that killed nine. NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh, former Home Minister, visited the site, renewing calls for a safety audit of Nagpur’s dozen explosives units—a demand he raised with CM Devendra Fadnavis last year.
Rescue operations continue.
(This story has been published from a syndicated feed)
