New Delhi, June 3, 2020: Eight workers were killed and 50 others were injured on June 3 in a massive fire triggered by a blast in the boiler of a chemical factory at Dahej in Gujarat’s Bharuch district, police said.

“Eight workers died in the boiler blast at the chemical factory located in Dahej Special Economic Zone-1, while around 50 others sustained injuries,” said Dahej Marine police station inspector Vipul Gagiya.

While six charred bodies were recovered from the factory after the fire was doused, two more workers died at separate hospitals in Bharuch, he said.

The death toll may rise further as some of the injured workers are in a serious condition, according to police.

“32 injured workers are admitted in various hospitals in Bharuch and nearby areas,” he said, adding that the death toll may go up as some of the workers are in a serious condition.

About 18-20 workers were given a primary aid, local officials said.

As companies of methanol and xylene chemicals are located near the affected factory, authorities have shifted about 4,800 people from nearby Luvara and Lakhigam villages to safer places as a precautionary measure.

About 230 workers were present inside the factory, Yashaswi Rasayan, located in Dahej Special Economic Zone-1, 42 kms from Bharuch, at the time of the incident in afternoon, they said.

It took about six hours for eleven fire tenders to bring the massive blaze under control, officials said.

In visuals, a long plume of black smoke is seen rising from the plant that is located on an open area.

Bharuch District Collector M D Modia said some 40 workers received burn injuries. All the injured have been taken to hospitals in Bharuch, and efforts are on to control the fire, he added.

The fire has engulfed the entire factory, Modia said, adding the residents of two villages near the chemical plant have been evacuated.

People shared videos of the fire on social media. The plant belongs to chemical major Yashashvi Rasayan Pvt Ltd, which produces over 15 chemicals for industrial use.

Chemical fires are particularly dangerous for people in areas near the source of the fire as toxic gases could spread wide.

Last month, a chemical leak in a plant of LG Polymers India in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam district led to hospitalization of 200 people and 11 deaths; 1,000 more people were affected by the gas leak from the plant that was left idle because of the coronavirus lockdown. LG Polymers made polystyrene and expandable polystyrene in India. The raw material, styrene, is highly flammable and releases a poisonous gas when burnt.

Source: indiatoday.in, ndtv.com