One killed, 13 injured as blast followed by fire strike private chemical plant near Mumbai's Palghar town

A powerful explosion followed by a massive fire ripped through a private chemical manufacturing company in the Tarapur, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation area late on Thursday night, police said. According to The Indian Express, one security guard was killed and several others were injured in the incident and the fire spread to at least five factory units. A report on NDTV put the number of injured at 13. Seven fire tenders have been rushed to the spot in order to douse the fire, according to ANI. According to a Palghar Control police official Pramod Pawar, the blast occurred around 11.15 pm at the chemical company’s plant in Maharashtra. The Indian Express report suggests that the first blast took place at the Novaphene Specialties private limited in E-107 unit in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. The fire then spread to adjoining factories — Aarti Drugs, Prachi Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, Bharat Vasayan and Unimax. The NDTV report said there are chemical drums inside these companies, due to which the fire is spreading. The Tarapur Atomic Power Station, which is also situated on Boisar-Tarapur Road, is 20 km away from the spot, the report added. According to ANI, five injured persons have been admitted to the hospital for treatment.

#Update: 5 injured people admitted to the hospital, Fire tenders on the spot. Fire still not doused off and spreads to neighboring 3 companies. pic.twitter.com/HQtymSQnJU

— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2018

“The blast, cause of which is not yet clear was so deafening that it was heard in a radius of 10 km, and houses and buildings were shaken,” IANS quoted Pawar as saying. Prima facie, it appears that the blast occurred in a boiler room. Local eyewitnesses said that the explosion, “sounding like a huge bomb” happened when many were preparing to retire for the night. However, scared and shaken by the explosion, many feared it was an earthquake and hundreds rushed out on to the streets and sat there. Further details are awaited and senior civil and police officials besides disaster management teams have rushed to the spot. With inputs from IANS