Banaskantha (Gujarat) [India], April 2 (ANI): The death toll in the firecracker godown explosion in Gujarat's Banaskantha district has risen to 21.

Banaskantha Collector Mihir Pravinkumar Patel said that most of the deceased workers were residents from the Dewas and Harda districts in Madhya Pradesh.

The Collector confirmed that the identification process of the victims has been completed, and their bodies are being sent back to their native places with the support of local administrations.

Speaking to the media here, Patel said, 'Majority of the deceased workers were from Dewas and Harda district of MP. The minister (Chouhan Nagar Singh), senior officers, and local administration officers from MP arrived here last night. The families of the deceased were also present at Deesa Civil Hospital yesterday.'

'After completing the identification process of the 10 people from the Dewas district in the presence of their family members, the deceased were sent to their native land in ambulances. A local administration team from the Harda district has also reached Deesa Civil Hospital. After the identification process, the eight deceased from the Harda district will also be sent to their native place,' he said.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Minister Chouhan Nagar Singh also spoke to the media about the development in the incident and said, 'As per the instructions of the MP and Gujarat CMs, teams from MP and Gujarat are working on this incident. Both the Gujarat and MP governments and the Prime Minister have announced compensations for the families of the deceased.'

'I have spoken to the District Collector about the seriousness of this matter as well. The government will take strict action against the culprits. The administration is taking legal action,' he stated.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over a firecracker explosion in the Banaskantha region of Gujarat and announced an ex-gratia of 2 lakh rupees to the next of kin of each deceased and 50,000 rupees to the injured.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also announced Rs 50,000 to the injured and Rs 2 Lakh ex-gratia to the families of the workers killed in the firecracker factory fire in Gujarat's Banaskantha district.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed grief over the incident and announced financial assistance of 4 lakh rupees to the families of the deceased and 50,000 rupees to the injured persons.

The explosion occurred at approximately 9:45 am on Tuesday. According to officials, the explosion at the firecracker godown in the Deesa area led to the collapse of the structure, trapping several workers inside.

Banaskantha Superintendent of Police Akshayraj Makwana said that a case had been registered in connection with the incident. (ANI)