DRDO fire: 2 scientists among 6 killed

HEMRL is a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory that specialises in making propellants for missiles and other explosive material as well as reactive armour for armoured vehicles.

The other four who were killed in the incident were Vishwat Chemicals’ Abhay More (38), Sachin Varhadi (23), Damu Sathe (48) and Ramesh Malpote (32), all of them contract employees. Another employee, Krishna Sathe, suffered injuries and he is undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit of Sassoon General Hospital here.

According to sources, the fire broke out around 3 p.m. when the scientists were working on sensitive chemicals used in solid propellants, which are used as fuels in missiles.

‘‘We rushed to the spot only to find that the fire had engulfed the whole section,’’ said Lt-Col D.D. Ghorpade, who is in charge of security.

Senior police officials were not allowed to enter the area for quite some time as panic spread among the senior officials.

Director Haridwar Singh was inundated with phone calls from Delhi enquiring about the incident. He refused to talk to mediapersons waiting outside. Senior DRDO officials like ARDE Director P. Deshpande also rushed to the spot.

Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Sharma said the police had registered a case of ‘‘accidental death’’. He said, ‘‘this was a high security area and our role is over as they have already ordered an inquiry. We have sent the bodies for post-mortem.’’

At the OPD of Sassoon General Hospital, a host of HEMRL employees waited for the van that transported the bodies to the morgue. The bodies were charred beyond recognition, several employees said. Anxious relatives were unable to control their emotions.

While most of the employees were tight-lipped about the incident, a few said it might have occurred due to mishandling of the explosive material.