A 16-year-old boy was killed after an explosion at a firecracker shop triggered a blaze and caused the shop's slab to collapse in Mumbai's Malad area on Monday night. The teenager had gone missing after the blast and was later found dead inside the shop.
The incident took place at around 9:56 PM on 9 November at a ground-floor shop near Gate No. 8 on Abdul Hamid Marg in Malvani, Malad West. The shop stored firecrackers and electrical materials, and the fire was confined to an area of about 20 by 30 feet.
The boy was identified as Shanwaz Niyaz Khan, aged 16. He was found charred to death inside the shop after the explosion and the collapse of the slab. He had suffered 100 percent burn injuries and was declared brought dead at BDBA Hospital in Kandivali, after being taken first to BMC's Shatabdi Hospital.
The Mumbai Fire Brigade brought the blaze under control and extinguished it by 10:36 PM on 9 November, within about 40 minutes of the explosion. Civic officials confirmed the sequence of events on Tuesday morning.
What happened at the shop
The shop was a ground-floor unit storing firecrackers along with electrical wiring and installations. When the explosion went off, the fire spread through the stored material and the slab above the shop gave way, trapping the boy inside.
Fire officials said the blaze was confined to the shop itself and the material inside it. The fire brigade's incident update, issued at 1:22 AM on Tuesday, recorded the fire as extinguished at 10:36 PM.
The boy had been reported missing in the immediate aftermath of the explosion. During the search of the debris, officials discovered his body inside the shop, severely charred by the fire.
A festive season with more than one tragedy
The Malvani death is not the only firecracker-related death of the Diwali period. A 10-year-old boy died in Delhi's Narela after a firecracker burst in his hand, a separate incident that should not be confused with this one.
The two deaths, in two cities and in different circumstances, point to the same risk: firecrackers stored, sold or burst in crowded places can turn fatal in seconds, especially where children are nearby.
For Malvani, the questions now are about the shop itself: how firecrackers and electrical materials were stored together in a small ground-floor unit, and whether the storage met safety norms. The investigation into the cause of the explosion is still under way, and officials are assessing the site.
What happens next
The fire brigade has closed the immediate operation, and the focus now shifts to the inquiry. Civic officials will examine the shop's storage, its licences and the condition of the structure before any findings are announced.
For the family of Shanwaz Niyaz Khan, the Diwali night ended in loss. The boy went missing in the confusion after the blast, and it was only after the fire was out that he was found inside the shop where he had died.
