Harda tragedy: Toll reaches 13, as boy succumbs to injuries

The death toll in a blast at a firecracker unit in Harda, Madhya Pradesh reached 13 on 9 February, after an 8-year-old boy succumbed to injuries in a hospital in Bhopal, an official said.

A massive blast and the subsequent blaze on Tuesday, 6 February, levelled a fireworks factory, leaving 11 dead at the time and more than 200 injured.

"The toll in the tragedy has reached 13 after a boy, identified as Ashish Rajput, succumbed to injuries in a hospital in Bhopal," Harda district hospital's civil surgeon Manish Sharma said.

The deceased's father, Sanjay Rajput, said they live close to the site of the blast and that Ashish was in a coma after being hit on the head by a stone during the explosion.

More than 200 persons were injured in the blast, of which 90 were discharged after treatment, while 45 have been referred to hospitals in Bhopal, Indore and Narmadapuram, an official earlier said. The rest are being treated in the Harda district hospital.

Additional district magistrate (ADM) Sadanand Gauda had on Thursday, 8 February, said seven persons have been reported missing by the families following the incident as well.