8 Injured After Massive Explosion at Chemical Facility in Gujarat's Vadodara

At least seven workers have been hospitalised after a series of explosions at a chemical company that rocked Gujarat's Vadodara on Thursday, 3 June. The explosions, which subsequently led to a massive fire, occurred at the Deepak Nitire GIDC plant at around 5 pm.

The smoke was visible from a distance, and around 17 fire-fighters reached the spot to put out the fire, as per The Indian Express. The cause of the explosion is not known yet.

The seven workers have been hospitalised after inhaling smoke, while some 700 people living in the vicinity of the factory have been shifted to safer places, officials said.

A senior police officer told reporters, “We are yet to ascertain how many persons were inside the premises when the blast occurred."

The extent of damage will be observed only once the fire is completely doused, he added.

“We have brought 80 percent of fire under control. We have 17 fire tenders in the operation... We are expecting to completely douse the fire and sanitise the floors of the plant by morning. We are not able to confirm any casualty or how the fire started at this point.”

Parth Brahmabhatt, Chief Fire Officer, Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services (VFES) of Vadodara Municipal Corporation told The Indian Express

The situation is hazardous and people have been asked to stay away from the site due to the copious amounts of inflammable chemical, reported the daily.

A large police force has also been deployed near the area to oversee the operation. Vadodara District Collector AB Gor and the City Joint Commissioner of Police Chirag Karodia arrived to supervise the operations.

After the development, the company released a statement saying it was monitoring the situation and that the safety of its staff and the communities around was of foremost priority to it, MoneyControl reported.

Further details are awaited.

(With inputs from The Indian Express, MoneyControl, and NDTV.)