Some more workers are feared buried under the debris of the factory that collapsed under the impact of the explosion.
[Representational Photo : iStock]
At least two workers were killed while two others were injured in an accidental explosion at a chemical factory in Valsad on Monday night. The injured have been shifted to hospitals with severe burns.
The blast followed by fire at the Van Petrochem Pharma Company at the chemical zone of the Sarigam estate of the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) in Valsad around 11.30 pm on Monday night.
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Though fire tenders reached the factory within a short time, the personnel could not start dousing the flames immediately as they were unaware about the type of chemicals which caused the blaze.
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The fire fighters did not find any security personnel to guide them about the chemicals present inside, making their task all the more difficult.
A portion of the factory also collapsed under the impact of the explosion. As a result of this, some more workers are feared buried under the debris of the collapsed building.
Such explosions in chemical and petro-chemical factories have almost become a routine in Gujarat as the industrial safety authorities take a lenient view of violation of fire safety norms. Apart from occasional blasts in chemical units, many workers also get killed while cleaning big tanks which carried toxic chemical residues.
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