Bharuch: Six workers killed in blast at chemical factory

Ahmedabad: Six workers were killed in a blast that triggered a fire in a chemical factory in Gujarat's Bharuch district on Monday, officials said.

The incident took place around 3 am in the unit located in Dahej industrial area, some 235 km from Ahmedabad.

The six victims were working near a reactor, which suddenly blew off during solvent distillation process, Bharuch Superintendent of Police Leena Patil said.

According to the police, the factory manufactures intermediates and chemicals at GIDC Phase 3. Employees and labourers at the factory were busy near a chemical reactor in the distillation unit when a sudden blast caused a fire that engulfed the entire section, they explained, adding that the labourers who managed to stay safe alerted the fire department as well as the factory owners. Soon fire officials from Bharuch Nagar Palika, Ankleshwar GIDC, Jhagadia GIDC and Dahej reached the spot, officers said.

The police identified the deceased as Uttar Pradesh natives Parasnath Yadav and Ratan Kushvaha (both operators), Junagadh native Jaydeep Bamroliya (lab technician), Rajubhai Vasava (helper) who hails from Narmada district, Jharkhand native Punit Mohanto (helper) and Madhya Pradesh native Tirath Gadari (operator). "The blast in the reactor caused a fire in the factory. All the six persons working near the reactor died. The bodies were later recovered and sent for postmortem. The fire was also brought under control," she said.

No one else was injured in the incident, the official said.