Mumbai: At least 3 killed and 5 got injured in a series of blasts in a pharmaceutical company’s chemical plant on Thursday. The preliminary reports say 25 drums got blasted that contained 200 litres each of solvent at Novephene Specialities’ plant in Boisar MIDC at around 11:15 pm.
During the search operation, three unidentified dead bodies were found, said an official. All injured were shifted to a private hospital in Boisar, the officials informed. Four nearby chemical units — Bharat Rasayan, Arti Industries (a major pharma unit manufacturing vitamins), Unimax and others — were either partially or completely destroyed.
Moreover, doors and glass panes of nearby residences got broken. Tremors of the blasts could be felt 12 km from the place of the incident, quotes Hindustan Times.
#WATCH: Fire broke out in a chemical factory in Palghar's Tarapur. 5 people injured in the incident. (Earlier Visuals) #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/xgK3FhFngO
— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2018
Those who were present at the scene said: the blasts were “sounding like a huge bomb”. Fearing it to be an earthquake, people rushed to the streets. Palghar district collector Prashant Narnaware, who reached the site on Friday, told ANI that “Our work of rescue is still continuing.”
An MSEDCL official said that roads have been cordoned off, and power to 57 industrial units (20 high tension (HT) units and 37 low tension (LT) units) near the spot have been cut off. Manjunath Singe, Superintendent of police said the directorate of industrial safety and health (DISH), Vasai, will investigate the cause of blasts and submit a report to the Boisar MIDC police. A case of accident has been registered.