Eight workers dead in Indian munitions factory explosion

An explosion at a munitions factory in India on 24 January killed at least eight people and injured seven others. The state-owned Munitions India factory in Bhandara district, Maharashtra, was involved in manufacturing low temperature plastic explosives used in ammunition deployed in high altitude regions. The explosion took place in a sensitive area of the factory in which automated pressing machines produce 100g cartridges used in shells.

The explosion resulted in the collapse of the roof, trapping more than a dozen workers under the debris. The National Disaster Response Force and its Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) team were deployed to manage the incident.

Mukesh Singh, working president of Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh, an all-India federation of defence workers, says that the explosion is not an isolated incident. ‘Accidents have happened earlier at Bhandara and other ordnance factories. There are 41 ordnance factories in the public sector,’ he says. ‘There is a need for strict adherence to established protocols and regular safety drills, as over time people tend to take things in a routine manner.’

A three-member committee has been formed by the state government to investigate the accident. However, Singh highlights the lack of transparency around the inquiry into a similar incident at a Munitions India unit in Khamaria in October 2024, in which one worker died, including any corrective actions implemented to prevent future occurrences. ‘This lack of accountability has further fuelled resentment among the workforce,’ Singh says. The union has demanded an independent inquiry, including a thorough assessment of the factory’s safety protocols and audit procedures.

An ex-gratia payment of ₹500,000 (£4600) for the families of the victims was announced by the Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Phadnavis.