New Delhi: At least five workers died and more than 50 received severe burns on Wednesday in a huge fire caused by a blast in the boiler of a factory at Dahej in Bharuch district of Gujarat, district collector said.
The boiler of the agro-chemical company, Yashashvi Rasayan Private Ltd, exploded in afternoon. Fire has engulfed the unit and large clouds of smoke could be seen.
Terrible blast with explosion in the Yashashvi Rasayan Chemical Company at Dahej, Bharuch. I’m praying speedy recovery for the people who affected by this tragedy. š pic.twitter.com/WjM3Zsju6T
ā Realpravinš (@Realpravin1) June 3, 2020
The explosion was so loud that it was heard up to a three kilometre radius, reported Indian Express.
“All the injured persons have been shifted to hospitals in Bharuch, and efforts are on to control the fire,” said Bharuch collector MD Modia.
He said 3,000 residents of Lakhi village and 1,4000 of Luvara village, both located near the factory, are being evacuated as a precautionary measure because of the presence of plants of poisonous chemicals near the affected factory.
Fire fighters were still attempting to douse the flames at around 6 pm on Wednesday.
Also read: What Leaked From the Vizag Plant?
The blast at a chemical factory comes within a month of a plastics-manufacturing plant, LG Polymers, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, leaking poisonous gas that soon spread to five villages nearby.
The gas, believed to be a toxin of some kind, quickly rendered over a thousand people sick. Twelve people died.
(With PTI inputs)
Note: This is a developing story.