Three killed, four injured in chemical factory blast in Maharashtra

A police officer said Thursday’s incident took place at 11:15 am at Sadhana Nitro Chem Ltd in Dhatav MIDC in Roha town, around 110 km from Mumbai. The officer said the blast occurred in the storage tank of the chemical plant. Three workers were carrying out welding when the storage tank, containing highly flammable methanol, blew up after catching fire from a spark.

The three died of burns. They were identified as Dinesh Kharbat (25), Sujit Yadav (21), both from UP, and Basuki Yadav (45) from Bihar.

Four others sustained burns ranging from 10 degree to 60 degree burns and have been admitted to various hospitals for treatment. Soon after the blast took place, authorities, including fire brigade personnel and local police, reached the spot and began rescuing those working there.

Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge said the Roha police station has registered an FIR against MK fabricator owner Mohan Lal and others on charges of culpable homicide and act endangering lives of others. “Prima facie, the basic safety measures for welding were not followed by the fabricator. We are also checking if there was any negligence on part of the company, So far no arrests have been made in the case,” Gharge said.