AHMEDABAD: Five workers were killed and five others injured in an explosion at a chemical manufacturing unit in Gujarat’s Bharuch district, officials said on Saturday.
The blast occurred around 10 pm on Friday during a hydrogenation process at SynZeal Pharmachem in the Saykha GIDC area of Vagra taluka, triggering a leak of toxic methylene dichloride (MDC) gas.
The explosion ripped apart the reactor tank, scattering machinery parts across the premises, Bharuch Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manisha Manani said. The unit, set up in Saykha a year ago, manufactures pharmaceutical intermediates, she added.
Superintendent of Police Akshyaraj Makwana said the deceased were identified as Jaydeep Maheshbhai Patel and Bhavik Dilipkumar Vasava, both from Amod; Vrund Talaviya from Talala in Gir Somnath district; and Aniket Harilal Gautam and Arjunkumar Ramsingh Gautam, both from Uttar Pradesh.
The injured workers were identified as Pavankumar Ramsingh Gautam, Mausamkumar Ramsevak Yadav, Shivdayal Ramavatar Yadav, Pratik Pravin Prajapati and Priyanshu Bahadurlal. They are undergoing treatment, Makwana said. The workers hailed from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
An official of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) said the explosion during the hydrogenation process triggered the gas leak.
Officials from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board, DISH and police reached the spot. The cause of the explosion is being investigated.
(With inputs from PTI)
