Navi Mumbai: Three labourer died and three others suffered injuries in a blast at a chemical factory at Roha on Thursday morning. According to police, the blast happened due to fabrication and welding work that was happening over a methanol tank of the chemical factory.
The MIDC fire department at 11.15 am was alerted by an adjacent factory of a blast and fire erupting from Sadhana Nitro Chem limited in Dhatau. The tank wherein the blast happened was at 10 feet height and the workers were working on the top pf the tank.
Roha: 3 dead, 3 injured in chemical factory blast during tank welding work | File Photo
According to an officer, the company had undertaken a maintenance and repair work of the methanol tank. “The tank was empty but there would have been some residue remaining in the tank which is suspected to have come in contact with the sparks from the welding work undertaken above the tank which is suspected to have led to the blast owing to chemical reaction," said a fire officer.
The three deceased have been identified as Dinesh Kumar (32), Surjit Kumar (21) and Bokshi Yadav (45), meanwhile the three undergoing treatment have been identified as Nilesh Bhagat (35), Anil Mishra (45) and Satyendra Yadav (40).
Following the incident, two fire tenders reached the spot to douse the fire. Even as the fire was doused within an hour, the high temperature around the tank was the challenge before the officers as they had to retrieve the bodies from the area. Of the three injured, Mishra received 80% burn injuries and has been shifted to National Burns Centre at Airoli in Navi Mumbai.
“As of now, we have registered an accidental death report. A FIR would be registered soon,” Deputy Superintendent of Police (Roha division) Ravindra Daundkar said.
