3 workers killed, 3 injured in chemical factory blast in Raigad

Navi Mumbai: Three workers were killed and as many were injured in a blast at a chemical factory in Raigad on Thursday. One of the injured workers has suffered 80% burns and is said to be critical.
According to officials from the fire department, preliminary findings suggest the blast occurred while workers were undertaking maintenance and repair work on top of an empty methanol tank at the factory, located in the Dhatav industrial area of Roha town in Raigad district.
The three deceased were identified as Dinesh Kumar, 25, from Bamnauli in Uttar Pradesh; Sanjeet Kumar Ramchandra Yadav, 21, from Prayagraj, UP; and Basuki Yadav, 45, from Munger in Bihar. The three workers undergoing treatment for burn injuries are Nilesh Kashinath Bhagat, 38, from Roha; Anil Mishra, 44, from Madhubani in Bihar; and Satendra Kumar Vijay Sahu, 19, from Jahanabad in UP.
Mishra was taken to the National Burns Centre in Airoli, Navi Mumbai, after suffering 80% burns and inhaling smoke. “He is in critical condition,” said an official from the hospital. Bhagat suffered 20% burns and fractures on his left leg and left hand. He is being treated at Medicover Hospital in Kharghar. Kumar suffered 10% burns and is being treated at Bhat Hospital.
Around 11.15 am on Thursday, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation’s (MIDC) fire department was alerted about the blast at Sadhana Nitro Chem Ltd by a nearby factory. After being alerted, two fire tenders reached the spot and doused the fire within 30 minutes. “The fire was doused quickly, but the temperature around the tank was too high, which posed a challenge in retrieving the bodies,” said fire officer Hareshwar Patil.
The storage tank where the blast occurred was situated at a height of 10 feet, officials said. “The tank was empty, but there was some kind of welding work undertaken and the spark appears to have led to the blast owing to a chemical reaction,” said Patil. The deceased’s bodies were sent for postmortem, said Somnath Gharge, superintendent of police, Raigad.