The explosion led to clouds of smoke and sand in the quarry and a small building — a warehouse — was flattened.

According to ACP Ashok Chauhan, a police team swiftly responded to the tragedy after receiving the distress call. Initial investigations suggest a potential cause of the explosion to be the incorrect installation of the cylinder, as per a neighbor's statement claiming Rajesh had replaced the cylinder earlier that morning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolence over the deaths in the mishap in Virudhunagar district and announced that an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased.

Despite the high temperatures from the blaze, efforts to clear debris were successful. The death toll stands at 11, with over 200 injured.

Eleven persons were killed and 174 others injured when the explosion ripped through the facility and caused a devastating fire. The factory is located in the Bairagarh locality on the outskirts of Harda town, about 150 km from the state capital Bhopal.

Policemen proceeding towards providing security to polio vaccination workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan were attacked.