14 injured in blaze at Surat jewellery factory

Surat mayor Daxesh Mavani visited the spot and talked to the people working at the factory.

Surat fire department officers said the incident took place at R V Ornaments, a diamond jewellery firm, on the floor where the artisans clean the diamond-studded gold ornaments.

Sources said over 20 people were working in the room. Talking to The Indian Express, Katargam Fire Officer Ramesh Sailor said, “When we reached the spot, we found two ambulances carrying injured persons exiting the factory premises. We found flames burning at some places inside the room where the accident took place. The entire room was filled with smoke. Wearing masks, three of our men entered the room, controlled the fire, and opened all the windows and doors to let the smoke out.”

The injured persons have been identified as Imran Ali (28), Vikas Manji (36), Nawab Shaikh (24), Sadik Rahimali (32), Khushwant Pandit (30), Asad Ali (20), Prateek Dobariya (26), Taufik Shaikh (25), Meet Patolia (21), Nazir Kayam (26), Girish Solanki (26), Brijesh Navadiya (22), Salim Shaikh (23), and Romi Mandal (19).

Fire sources said that two diamond artisans incurred 90% burn injuries in the accident while two others suffered over 40% burns injuries. Their condition is reported to be critical while the remaining workers are stable, they added.

Surat Municipal Corporation’s Chief Fire Officer Basant Pareek said, “The cause of the fire is not known yet but there was a leakage in the gas supply line. Our teams are probing into the incident.”