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New Delhi At least eight workers were killed and 74 more were injured after an explosion sparked a major fire at a chemical factory in western India on Wednesday, officials said.
Around 5,000 people in the villages near the plant in Gujarat state’s Bharuch district were taken to safer areas as a precautionary measure, the region’s top official MD Modiya said.
“Eight workers are dead after the blast in a solvent container of the agro-chemical plant,” Modiya told dpa.
Rescue teams brought the injured workers to the hospital where the condition of some was reported to be serious.
“We evacuated the villagers because the blast occurred very close to where some poisonous chemicals were stored. Chemical fires are particularly dangerous as the toxic gases could spread over a wide region,” Modiya said.
The fire engulfed the factory and dozens of firemen took five hours to bring the blaze under control.
Last month, 11 people died and 800 were hospitalized in southern India after a gas leak occurred at a chemical plant left idle amid the lockdown. (DPA)
Around 5,000 people in the villages near the plant in Gujarat state’s Bharuch district were taken to safer areas as a precautionary measure, the region’s top official MD Modiya said.
“Eight workers are dead after the blast in a solvent container of the agro-chemical plant,” Modiya told dpa.
Rescue teams brought the injured workers to the hospital where the condition of some was reported to be serious.
“We evacuated the villagers because the blast occurred very close to where some poisonous chemicals were stored. Chemical fires are particularly dangerous as the toxic gases could spread over a wide region,” Modiya said.
The fire engulfed the factory and dozens of firemen took five hours to bring the blaze under control.
Last month, 11 people died and 800 were hospitalized in southern India after a gas leak occurred at a chemical plant left idle amid the lockdown. (DPA)
