Eight dead, ten injured in Ahmedabad firecracker blast

At least eight people were killed and ten others injured after a powerful explosion and subsequent fire ripped through a firecracker factory in Ahmedabad, India, on Saturday, July 18, 2026. The blast occurred in the Vastral area along Ramol-Gatrad Road, triggering a massive emergency response and raising immediate questions about the legality of the operation.

The explosion, described as deafening, tore through the factory in an open plot near a canal in the afternoon. The force of the blast was such that personnel from the nearby Rapid Action Force (RAF) camp rushed to the scene even before formal firefighting teams arrived. They began initial rescue efforts, pulling trapped and injured workers from the debris of the collapsed structure. The Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services were alerted around 3:30 p.m. and launched a full-scale operation, deploying more than five fire tenders and ambulances. Firefighters battled intense flames while conducting search operations inside the heavily damaged premises.

Sector-2 Joint Commissioner of Police Jaipal Singh Rathod confirmed that eight bodies had been recovered from the site. He identified the factory as being operated by an...