MUMBAI: Eight workers were killed and more than 50 injured after a boiler exploded at a chemical factory at Dahej in Gujarat’s Bharuch district on Wednesday. Officials fear that the toll could go up as the rescue operation was still on at the site. “Some bodies were found at the factory, while others died in hospital,” Bharuch SP R V Chudasama said. About 230 workers were present inside the factory, Yashaswi Rasayan, located in Dahej Special Economic Zone-1.
The blast was so intense that it was heard at Bhavnagar, which is 20 km away from the explosion site. The explosion sparked a massive fire following which the local authority shifted the people from nearby villages to safer areas. The fire posed a risk to the tank storing hydrogen, sulphur, dioxide, and ethanol at the plant. Ten fire engines were at the site to douse the fire and rescue the workers. A long plume of black smoke was seen rising from the plant that is located in an open area.
“Around 35-40 workers received burn injuries after the boiler exploded in the afternoon. All the injured have been taken to hospitals in Bharuch, and efforts are on to control the fire and rescue as many as workers. The villagers near the factory were evacuated. The fire has engulfed the entire factory,” district collector M D Modia informed the media.