Mumbai: At least 20 persons died and 50 others injured in an explosion at a chemical factory located at Waghadi village in Maharashtra’s Shirpur on Saturday. As many as 70 persons are still trapped inside the factory, authorities informed.
Rescue and relief efforts are underway. A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed at the site.
Waghadi village, where the incident took place, is 60 km away from Dhule and 400 km from Mumbai.
As per preliminary reports, the explosion occurred at inside a chemical company compound in Shirpur’s Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. The blast was so intense that surrounding villages felt tremors. Six fire brigades were immediately rushed to the accident spot.
Plumes of black smoke have engulfed the entire area. Authorities fear the smoke could be hazardous and may endanger the lives of people in the area. Since MIDC’s premises are far from the city, several workers reside within the company premises along with their families.
The injured have been admitted to sub-district hospital. Those in critical condition have been shifted to private hospitals in the area.
The overall death toll is likely to go up, fear authorities.
A team of chemical experts and doctors have been moved to location, informed Dhule guardian minister Girish Mahajan.
Prima facie, cylinders explosion has been cited as the reason behind the blast at the factory. No official information has been released on the reason behind the explosion and who owns the chemical company.
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