In brief
Three families died in distinct locations during the Diwali festivities: six in Seoni, six in Katni, and six in Dharashiv. Local police said the causes of the fires were still unknown. A separate blaze in a fireworks factory in central India reportedly killed 15 people and injured four, while a separate report from the Indian Express noted 35 severe burn injuries in Chhatarpur district.
At least 18 people were killed on the night of India’s Diwali festival in three separate fire incidents, local police confirmed, according to Xinhua. Two of the incidents were in the Seoni and Katni districts of Madhya Pradesh and the third was in Dharashiv district of Maharashtra.
In Seoni, the blaze broke out inside a three‑story house that was owned by a six‑member family. The fire quickly spread, killing all six members and injuring four others who were taken to a local hospital, Xinhua reported. In Katni, a fire erupted at a crockery shop on the ground floor of a multi‑story building. Six members of the shop’s owning family died, while the cause of the fire was not identified by a local cop, the agency said.
The incident in Dharashiv involved a family’s two‑story home. Six members of the family were asphyxiated as fire spread while they slept. Xinhua noted that the police had not yet determined what sparked the flames, and the injured were also admitted to hospital.
In a separate incident on the same night, a blaze in a fireworks factory in central India reportedly killed 15 people and seriously injured four others, a post on Facebook by Asian News Hub said. The post, which could not be viewed in full, indicated that the factory was located in a crowded industrial area near a major roadway.
In Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, a later report from the Indian Express found at least 35 people sustained severe burn injuries in separate firecracker‑related incidents during Diwali celebrations. Several shops and showrooms were gutted by the fires, and many of the injured were taken to makeshift wards in local hospitals for treatment.