A massive explosion shook an illegal stone quarry near Gopalpur village of Dhenkanal district in Odisha late Saturday night, 3rd January, killing two workers and leaving others possibly trapped under rubble. Officials say the blast happened at this unauthorised site, and it wasn’t until late at night that police and local authorities rushed in to lock down the area.
Pictures from the spot show rocks and debris everywhere, with giant stone slabs crashing down into the pit. At first, fellow workers and nearby residents tried pulling out the injured ones before the officials took charge. Several hurt labourers were rushed to a local hospital, but the full count of who’s injured or missing is still getting sorted out.
#WATCH | Dhenkanal, Odisha: Massive explosion at stone quarry, labourers trapped. pic.twitter.com/v9snDuvaoR
— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2026
Rescue efforts underway
Senior officers showed up quickly to start checking things out. They cordoned off the whole zone and stopped people from getting close. It’s tough to tell if anyone’s stuck under the mess since it blew up so late, and nobody’s sure how many workers were even there. Reports say part of the quarry wall caved in after the bang, making fears worse that folks are buried.
Dhenkanal, Odisha: Two labourers died at a road metal quarry near Ranibania under Motanga police station after a blast caused large rocks to fall on them. pic.twitter.com/HQSIzkIx47
— IANS (@ians_india) January 4, 2026
The Dhenkanal mining office had told the quarry owner to shut down on 8th September, 2025, because they didn’t have the okay for blasting. But blasting kept going anyway, breaking all the rules. No one’s picked up from the mining officer or the leaseholder yet, and locals are wondering if the lease was even still good, though nothing’s confirmed.
Pushing forward with help
Rescue work is going strong now, with plans to bring in big machines and expert teams to speed things up. Seven teams are on site after orders came down. A fire officer, Nabaghana Mallik 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.”
#WATCH | Dhenkanal, Odisha: Fire officer, Nabaghana Mallik says, "… Two to four people have been trapped beneath large stones. Machinery is being used to cut through these stones and evacuate those trapped inside. Two teams from the fire department have been deployed, and a dog… https://t.co/I5epD0tShL pic.twitter.com/wdYDAqM0rH
— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2026
He further said, “Two to four people have been trapped beneath large stones. Two teams from the fire department have been deployed. The incident occurred last night during blasting operations…”
