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.