A massive explosion took place at an illegal stone quarry in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district late on Saturday night. The blast reportedly killed at least two workers and has left many more trapped and injured. Officials fear that more people could be dead inside the stone quarry. The incident has raised several questions regarding the cause of the blast, which is yet to be ascertained.
The blast occurred at a quarry near Gopalpur village, which comes under the jurisdiction of Motanga police, local police officials said that the quarry was running without blasting permission, and the work conditions were in violation of mining regulations.
Quarry was issued notice to close down
According to reports, the District mining office had issued a directive to close the mining site on September 8, 2025. The notice was issued to the leaseholder because of the absence of necessary approval for blasting activity. However, the mining was not stopped and continued in an illegal capacity.
Dhenkanal Collector Ashish Ishwar Patil said that two bodies had so far been recovered from the debris by personnel from the fire services during rescue operations. He said that “One of the deceased is from Balasore, and another may be from Mayurbhanj or Keonjhar. The complete identity has not yet been confirmed.” He further added that machinery and dog squads were trying to locate any workers trapped in the quarry.
Official teams said that a portion of the quarry floor collapsed following the explosion, which suggests that the blast was powerful enough to destabilise large sections of rock and earth. Authorities are conducting further investigation to determine if explosive materials were present and being used at the site at the time of the blast.
Cause of blast being investigated
A fire officer said, “It was observed that huge stone pieces have fallen in the stone quarry. As it is difficult to remove such massive stones manually, heavy machinery will be used. Dog squads have also reached the spot.”
According to reports, the lease may have expired in December 2025, and despite the instructions to close the quarry, the work continued, which sparked criticism and alarm among officials and safety regulators. “The mining operation had been suspended in September as there was no blasting permission.” Collector Patil, “Even after the expiry, they continued the mining operation. Legal action will be taken for the illegal mining operation.”
The local police have cordoned off the area, and the tehsildar department, along with Motanga police, have launched an investigation into the cause of the blast.
