A deadly explosion at the Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited's RDX crystallisation facility in Chakdoh-Bazargaon (40 km off Nagpur), early Thursday, killed one worker and injured at least 25 others.
The blast ripped through the two-storey unit around 12:30 am, turning it into rubble. The flames leapt high above in the air, visible enough from a distance of 1.5 km. It even damaged nearby buildings, including a hostel, up to 2 km away. The incident sent shockwaves all around the region.
The deceased worker was identified as Mayur Ganvir, 31, from Chandrapur, who was working in a laboratory nearby. Ganvir was killed on the spot as a metal door fell over and hit his head. All the 25 injured have been admitted to a private hospital in Nagpur, seven of whom are undergoing treatment in the ICU. According to the doctors, two of them are in critical condition.
Notably, this is the second deadly explosion at the Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL) in two years. SDAL is the largest private defence manufacturer in India. The solar industrial explosives have been linked to India's defence sector, and even used in recent operations like Operation Sindoor. About nine workers had died while handling TNT in December 2023. Earlier, it was registered as an accidental death case, but later on police upgraded it to a "death by negligence" against the SDAL management.
The tragic incident raises serious concerns about industrial safety and regulations at SDAL.
The high temperatures are preventing forensic experts and officials from investigating the blast site. However, a team from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) will be visiting the facility to find out the cause of the incident.
One of the officials stated that there were early indications of a blast. Some people had already left the plant.
The repeated accidents indicate systemic failures and demand strict safety protocols. An investigation into the matter is also being demanded.