On Monday, the air inside Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) felt heavy, not just with the smell of disinfectant, but with waiting and grief that hung over the courtyard outside the mortuary.Families of those killed in Sunday’s blast, which tore through the packing unit of an explosives factory near Nagpur, a section staffed almost entirely by women, sat huddled on the ground. Some leaned against compound walls; others stared ahead in silence. Many had spent the night there, too anxious to eat, too numb to sleep. Nineteen workers died. Sixteen of them were women — the youngest 28, the oldest 55.On Monday evening, after DNA reports were verified — the bodies too charred and dismembered to be identified otherwise — officials began handing them over. One by one, names were called out. Families stepped forward — not just to receive the remains of their mothers, daughters and wives, but to confront a future that had suddenly shifted.Also Read | ‘I tried running to her, But I was held back’: Families wait for a glimpse — or a body — after Nagpur blastFor many villages in the area, the factory was more than a workplace. It was the only steady source of income.“Most of us depend on farming,” said Shankar Tajne, a relative of one of the deceased. “But how much can you earn as a farm labourer? That is why people chose to work in the factory.”Of the 16 women who died, some were single mothers and sole breadwinners. Others took up the job to support their husbands or to fund their children’s education. An eight-hour shift meant they could return home to cook, clean and care for their families, and, if needed, earn extra through overtime.Naina Gaikwad, a worker at the factory and a cousin of the deceased Payal Gajbhiye, said the job seemed practical and manageable. “Many women chose to work there because it was an eight-hour shift. If we stayed longer, we were paid overtime. My sister and I joined together, though we worked in different units,” she said.Story continues below this adDoctors treating the injured described scenes they said would remain with them for a long time.“I have seen many mass casualty cases, but not like this,” said a doctor who treated the blast victim at Orange City Hospital. “The bodies were severely burnt, all the burn victims being treated were women and mostly below 30 years. There were deep wounds, fractures requiring urgent surgery. Some patients have 80 per cent burns. There was dirt embedded deep into bones and muscles, and remnants of explosive material charring the tissue. It was a painful sight. As doctors, we felt very bad for the patients and their families.”Several women had planned to take leave for Holi, to visit their maternal homes or stay back to make puran poli. Those plans will now go unfulfilled. Outside the mortuary, families waited as the festival approached.VICTIM PROFILES: The women and their storiesMeena Yedme (28)At 28, Meena is among the youngest victims of the blast. She is survived by her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Yukta, and her husband, Shubham, who had undergone leg surgery a month ago and was still on bed rest. Discharged from GMCH only last week, on Monday he was moving with the help of a walker. With him unable to work for the time being, the family relied on Meena for income. “Before leaving that morning, she made tea and reminded me to take my medicines,” Shubham said.Pratibha Walke (28)Story continues below this adHer 10-year-old son sat outside the mortuary, waiting for news of his mother’s body on Monday. Pratibha, also amongst the youngest victims of the tragedy, had been working at the factory for over a year to support her family. Her husband Suresh went into shock on hearing of her death and briefly lost consciousness. The last time her son spoke to her, on Saturday night, he had simply asked for food, he told this newspaper.Mangeshri Yeskar (30)A single mother, Mangeshri Yeskar was the sole breadwinner for her two children, a 15-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. She had divorced her husband nearly a decade ago and had since raised them on her own. Her mother, Kanta Chachane, remembered their last call. “She asked if I had eaten,” she said. “Every day before duty she would stop by. That morning, she went straight to work. I didn’t get to see her one last time.”Payal Gajbhiye (30)Payal had joined the factory five months ago. “She did not like sitting idle at home,” her husband Darshan Gajbhiye told this newspaper. He works in Warud and had asked her to take leave and visit her parents for Holi. “She said she could not. The supervisor would get angry and might remove her from the job.”Varsha Tekam (30)She is survived by her husband, Amol, and their six-year-old twins. She had joined the factory eight months ago. Amol said farming in their village did not provide enough income. “We were under financial strain, and she decided to step out and work,” he said. Her brother Sanjay Uikey regrets not calling her. “I was going to call her to wish her on Holi,” he said.Gayatri Shende (30)Story continues below this adA good education for her children was Gayatri Shende’s priority, her family said. The 30-year-old is survived by her husband and two sons, Karthik, 7, and Kanishk, 4. She had been working at the factory for over a year; her husband was employed there as well. “She would always say her children should get good education,” a relative recalled, as family members waited at GMCH to receive her body on Monday.Gopi Kohe (35)Her 13-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter stood outside the mortuary on Monday, waiting for their mother’s body. Gopi Kohe, 35, was a single mother who raised them in a rented house in Katol. Alongside her factory job, she took up additional household work to support the family. “She was planning to leave from March 1,” her mother, Manda Yedame (55), said. “This was supposed to be her last day.”Sangeeta Pachbhaye (35)She had been saving for her children’s education and looking for other work. Her father, Balwant Nyare, told this newspaper that she had planned to visit them soon. Her daughter Gauri said Sangeeta intended to continue working through Holi as some colleagues were taking leave. She is survived by her husband, Prabhkar, and their three children, Yash, Gunjan and Gauri.Ranjana Ghagre (36)Ranjana was critically injured in Sunday’s blast and died on Monday while undergoing treatment at Orange City Hospital. She is survived by her husband, Uttamrao, and their two sons, aged 19 and 18. Uttamrao, who works at another explosives factory, said he met her before surgery. “She could not speak properly. We still had hope.” He had often asked her to leave the job, he said, but she insisted the family needed the income.Savita Kalmegh (40)Story continues below this adSavita Kalmegh had been working at the factory for over a year, earning around Rs 12,000 a month. With a 16-year-old daughter in Class 10 and a 12-year-old son still in school, she tried to set aside whatever she could for their education. Her husband, Kanish, a farmer, said one income was not enough. “She took up the job only for the our children’s education,” he said. “We wanted them to have a better life.”Sunita Salame (40)Sunita is survived by her husband and three daughters, aged 13, 12 and 9. With the family facing financial strain, she began working at the factory over a year ago to supplement the household income. On Sunday morning, her daughters had asked her to stay home for Holi. She told them she would take leave later and left for work instead.Durga Gaikwad (40)“I was asleep when she left for work that day,” said Rushabh, Durga Gaikwad’s 22-year-old son. “She used to leave early every morning. The night before, she served me dinner and said she might take an extra day’s leave for Holi.” Durga had been working at the factory for four years and contributed significantly to the household income. She is survived by her husband and son.Sunanda Chichkhede (40)After her husband died six years ago, Sunanda Chichkhede moved in with her son, Pratik, now 22, a sports teacher at a local school. Facing financial strain, she began working at the factory and had continued there for nearly five years, leaving home by 5 am each day. “The night before, I asked her to wash my clothes for physical training,” Pratik said. “When she left that morning, I was still asleep.” She is also survived by two married daughters.Shobha Tapase (50)Story continues below this adShe had been working at the factory for seven years. She is survived by her husband and four married daughters. According to her daughter, Ashwini Enurkar (30), Shobha took up the job after her husband fell ill and was unable to work. “She supported everyone in whatever way she could,” Ashwini said. A day before the blast, she had called to ask what was cooked for dinner and about plans for the festival.Anusuya Patil (55)Anusuya, the oldest female victim of the blast, had been looking for another job and was keen to leave the factory, but there were few employment options in her village. She had continued working there for over four years. She is survived by her husband, Kapil. A family member, Meenakshi, said Anusuya had planned to visit them for Holi and was going to take three days’ leave for the festival.