Rajendra Kaswa is accused of storing explosives in a building that also contained residences.

"Our teams have fanned out across various parts to capture him," said Seema Alawa, a police official for Jhabua District in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Police have sealed off Kaswa's warehouses.

India has laws prohibiting commercial use of residential buildings, but they're rarely enforced. Buildings regularly house both.

Kaswa was storing licensed mining explosives, police said. A fire may have triggered the blast, but an inquiry has been ordered to determine the exact cause, Pandey said.

Some of the dead included customers at an adjacent restaurant. The impact of the blast was also felt across the road, where a few other houses also suffered damage, police said.

About 100 people were injured, said Arun Sharma, Jhabua's chief medical officer.