The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Fire Brigade resumed rescue operations at first light on Friday, they had halted efforts after dark the previous evening. In addition to the fatalities, 64 people were injured and have been admitted to various hospitals
AS MANY as eight persons were killed and more than 60 others injured following an explosion at a chemical factory in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Thursday afternoon, officials said. As a boiler exploded at Amudan Chemicals located in Phase 2 of Dombivli MIDC area around 1.40 pm, the impact of the explosion and the resultant blaze affected adjacent factories and houses, they said. .
Residents in Dombivli and nearby areas, up to a 4 km radius, woke up to a strong stench of burnt chemicals and a thin layer of ash on roads, shops, and homes. Many people wore face masks to avoid the unpleasant smell.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Fire Brigade resumed rescue operations at first light on Friday. They had halted efforts after dark the previous evening. In addition to the fatalities, 64 people were injured and have been admitted to various hospitals.
Although the fire was put out by Thursday night, cooling operations continued, and searches for more possible victims trapped under debris were ongoing. The impact of the explosion was felt within a 2-3 km radius.
The Amudan factory premises, located within the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area, resembled a war zone on Friday morning. The site was filled with the foul smell of burnt metal, chemicals, and debris from the destroyed buildings.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the site on Thursday evening and emphasised the need to relocate hazardous factories to prevent future disasters. “In view of the risks posed by certain categories of industries, the government plans to shift such hazardous factories to another location,” Shinde said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve, who visited the site on Friday morning, called for legal action against the factory owners. “The former Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had planned to shift at least five factories with risk-prone units, but the subsequent government did nothing in the matter,” Danve said, criticizing the ruling MahaYuti regime.
The Thane Police have booked the factory owners, Malay Mehta and his wife Malati Mehta, on charges of negligence and culpable homicide.
