Bhopal, April 3
The final rites of two children aged 5 and 8, who lost their lives in a firecracker factory in Banaskantha district of Gujarat, were performed on Thursday at Nemawar ghat on the Narmada river in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh.
Two other victims -- aged 11 and 12 -- were among those who lost their lives in a blast that occurred in a firecracker factory in Deesa, Banaskantha.
Government officials have said two persons who lost their lives are yet to be identified through DNA test.
All the victims were residents of Harda and Dewas districts in Madhya Pradesh.
The incident occurred at 8 a.m. last Tuesday in Deesa near Banaskantha, when a boiler explosion led to the devastation that was so severe that workers' bodies were dismembered and scattered as far as 50 meters.
Those among died from Sandalpur of Dewas district include -- Kesharbai (50), Lakhan (24), Sunita (20), Radha (11) Rkma (8), Abhishek (5), Rakesh (30) Lali (25), Kiran (5) and a contractor were from Sandalpur of Dewas while 8 others from Handia tehsil of Harda district are -- Guddi (30), Vijay (17), Ajay (16), Krishna (12), Vishnu (18), Suresh (25) Babita (30) and Dhanraj (18).
The state government through district administration performed final rites of the victims at Nemawar ghat of Narmada river in Harda district.
Remains of some individuals were also discovered in a field behind the factory, reports said.
Among the victims, eight workers were from Handia tehsil in Harda district while nine others workers were from Sandalpur in Dewas, and a contractor from Khategaon also lost their lives.
Additionally, eight workers sustained injuries, with three in critical condition, said the reports.
District Collector Dewas has posted a list of victims of the incident on social media handle.
DNA tests were conducted to identify the remains of two bodies that were initially unrecognisable, an official said.
The chief ministers of both the states -- Mohan Yadav and Bhupendra Patel -- announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 4 lakh to the families of those who lost their lives, and Rs 50,000 for injured persons, respectively.