Nagpur SBL Energy Blast Leaves Families Torn Between Hospital Wards and Mortuary Gates
Women workers killed and injured as explosion rips through SBL Energy packing unit.
Families of women workers killed and injured in a powerful explosion at a factory in Nagpur spent hours outside intensive care units and mortuary gates on Sunday, waiting desperately for news of their loved ones. The blast tore through a packing unit at SBL Energy Limited earlier in the day, leaving multiple casualties and plunging several households into grief and uncertainty. Police officials were seen addressing anxious relatives outside the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC), as hospital authorities worked to identify victims and stabilise the injured.
When the explosion ripped through the facility, 28-year-old Vijay Dhurve was working in another building within the same industrial compound. Hearing the deafening sound and seeing smoke billow into the sky, he rushed toward the unit where his wife was on duty. “I tried running to her, but I was held back,” he told reporters, describing the chaos that followed. Security personnel and emergency responders prevented workers and family members from entering the damaged section as rescue teams searched for survivors amid debris and twisted metal.
Most of the workers in the affected unit were women employed in packaging operations, family members said. By afternoon, corridors outside the ICU at GMC were filled with relatives clutching phone calls, photographs and hope. Some paced restlessly; others sat silently on the floor. For many, information came in fragments — a name on a list, a hurried update from a doctor, or a call from another worker. As ambulances continued to arrive, the reality of the tragedy slowly unfolded, with confirmed fatalities compounding the anguish.
Also Read: 17 Killed in Nagpur Factory Blast, a Day After 21 Die in Andhra Pradesh Cracker Unit Explosion
Outside the mortuary, scenes of heartbreak played out as police attempted to maintain order and ensure identification procedures were followed. Several families said they had been waiting for hours just to confirm whether their relatives were among the deceased. Officers appealed for calm, explaining that formalities and post-mortem examinations would take time. The uncertainty — not knowing whether to pray for recovery or prepare for last rites — weighed heavily on those gathered outside the hospital premises.
Authorities have launched an inquiry into the cause of the explosion, though initial details about what triggered the blast remain unclear. Senior officials indicated that safety protocols and compliance measures at the factory would come under scrutiny. Labour representatives and local leaders also visited the hospital, calling for accountability and adequate compensation for affected families. For workers in the area’s industrial belt, the incident has reignited concerns about workplace safety and emergency preparedness.
As night approached, some families were allowed brief, tightly controlled glimpses of their injured relatives through ICU glass panels, while others were led toward the mortuary for identification. Between those two doors — one offering fragile hope, the other finality — relatives stood suspended in grief. For Vijay Dhurve and many like him, the hours since the blast have blurred into a painful vigil defined by sirens, unanswered questions and the unbearable wait for certainty.
Also Read: 17 Killed in Nagpur Factory Blast, a Day After 21 Die in Andhra Pradesh Cracker Unit Explosion
