THE death toll in the massive explosion and subsequent fire at a chemical storage on the premises of a closed alloy factory in Solu village near Alandi reached five on Sunday. Police said the total number of injured in the incident is now 18, with with at least five of them undergoing treatment. The blast, which was initially thought to be of a power distribution transformer, was later revealed to be that of chemicals stored on the premises of the alloy manufacturing factory at Solu on Alandi Markal Road. Officials said the factory was closed a few years ago and is currently facing insolvency proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal. The blast, which had taken place around 5pm on Friday, injured many people present near the site and also those passing by at the time. "With the death of a 50-year-old person on Sunday morning, the toll in the explosion has reached five. The information gathered till now suggests that at least 18 people were injured in the accident, with five of them currently being treated for burn injuries at Sassoon General Hospital and a private hospital," said an officer from Alandi police station. The deceased have been identified as Santosh Trimbak Mane (50), Nagnath Potanna Panchal (55), Ramchandra Maruti Nimbalkar (80), Nanda Santosh Shelke (45), all four residents of Solu village. Abdul Kalam Khan (50), a resident of Kudalwadi in Chikhali, succumbed to severe burns on Sunday morning. "We are waiting for the reports of chemical analysis of the samples collected from the blast site. We have earlier registered an offence in the case and a probe is on," said inspector Ramesh Patil, in-charge of Alandi police station. Police have booked the owner of the factory and an insolvency practitioner, who is looking after the proceedings against the company and holds the custody of the property.
