Maharashtra factory fire: Death toll in Boisar chemical factory blast rises to seven

The death
toll in the explosion at a chemical factory in Maharashtra’s Palghar district
on Saturday has gone up to seven with the recovery of one more body, an
official said on Sunday. District Guardian minister Dada Bhuse also inspected
the blast site late Saturday night and later said prima facie, the factory had
permission from the authorities concerned to carry out testing of machinery at
the unit.

The blast
took place on Saturday evening during the testing of some chemicals at the
under-construction plant of Ank Pharma in Kolwade village, killing six people.

“During
the debris clearing operation, one more body was found on Sunday morning. The
deceased has been identified as Trinad Dasari (35),” district disaster
control cell chief Vivekananda Kadam said.

One girl was
still missing from the mishap site, he said, adding that search was on to trace
her.

The six
found dead on Saturday have been identified as Mohan Ingle (45), Sakshi Madan
(39), Nishu Singh (26), Madhuri Singh (46), Gokul Jadhav (18) and Ilyas Ansari
(45) (factory watchman).

Besides, the
seven injured persons, including the plant owner Natwarbhai Patel, who was
seriously hurt, was undergoing treatment at different hospitals, Kadam said.
Work for clearing the debris was still underway, he added.

The
explosion took place during the testing of some chemicals around 7:20 pm at the
plant in a Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area of
Boisar, located over 100 km away from Mumbai, officials earlier said.

The blast
was so huge that it was heard within a 15-km radius, and windowpanes of some
houses in the surrounding area shattered, they said.

The
under-construction plant building collapsed after the explosion and two other
chemical units located in the vicinity also suffered damages, Kadam said.