New Delhi: An explosion at a chemical factory in Boisar in Maharashtra’s Palghar district claimed the lives of three workers and left 12 others injured on Wednesday, October 27, according to officials.
The incident occurred at 4:20 pm at Bhagoria Chemicals Private Limited in Tarapur MIDC in Boisar, according to a report in the Indian Express. A reactor at the factory being used to make gamma acid, an intermediate compound used in the textile industry for dying clothes, exploded while a total of 18 workers were present on the premises.
According to officials, the blast was so intense that it ripped the roof off of the factory.
“Due to the explosion in the reactor vessel at the chemical factory, three workers died and 12 others suffered injuries. While the bodies of the victims were sent to a government hospital for post-mortem, the injured were admitted to [Shinde] hospital,” news agency PTI quoted Palghar police spokesperson Sachin Navadkar as saying.
On being alerted, personnel from the Boisar police station and local fire brigade rushed to the spot, he said.
A total of 18 employees were working at the factory when the blast occurred, senior inspector of Boisar police station Pradeep Kasbe told PTI. The factory has been operating for 10 years and has a total of 90 workers.
In the preliminary probe, the plant in-charge confirmed that the blast occurred due to the high pressure in the reactor vessel.
“The plant manufactures gamma acid that is used in the textile industry. The reactor vessel exploded when the process was underway to mix sodium sulphate with ammonia,” Kasbe said.
The police will seek technical support from the officials of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health to probe the incident, he continued.
(With PTI inputs)