INDIA – Five dead, five critically injured in explosion at Gujarat chemical facility
Five workers have died and five others sustained critical injuries following an explosion at a chemical manufacturing facility in Bharuch district, Gujarat. Authorities have ordered the plant to halt operations while investigations into the incident get underway.
The explosion occurred at approximately 11 pm at SynZeal Pharmachem, located in the Saykha Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) industrial estate. According to officials, the blast took place during a hydrogenation process, sending machinery flying across the site and alarming businesses in the surrounding industrial zone.
The force of the explosion was reportedly felt some distance from the facility, with the noise heard as far as 15 km away. Fire department officials said a tractor parked around 200 metres from the plant suffered a burst tyre, while nearby industrial buildings were shaken by the impact.
Concerns about a possible gas leak also emerged after the incident. Reports of eye irritation continued through the night, although officials had not ruled out the possibility of a release of gas following the blast.
In response, the Bharuch district administration issued a notice requiring the company to suspend all operations with immediate effect, pending further action. Bharuch Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manisha Manani, police personnel from Vagra, revenue officials and fire service teams attended the scene shortly after the explosion.
The five workers who died have been identified as Bhavik Vasava, Arjun Kumar, Aniket Kumar, Jaydeep Patel and Vrund Talaviya. The injured workers, identified as Priyanshu Kumar, Pawan Kumar, Pratik Prajapati, Mausam Kumar and Shiv Dayal, were taken to a hospital in Bharuch, where they remain in critical condition.
Approximately 20 workers were reportedly at the facility when the explosion occurred.
Bharuch District Collector N K Gavhane told The Indian Express that authorities were awaiting a preliminary report before deciding on further action. He said the precise cause of the blast had not yet been established, although officials had been informed that the hydrogenation process involved highly flammable hydrogen gas. The confirmed death toll at the time of his statement stood at five.
The Industrial Safety and Health Department has launched an investigation to establish what caused the explosion and determine whether the facility complied with applicable industrial safety requirements.
The plant is reported to have commenced operations in May, bringing its safety procedures and arrangements under scrutiny as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding the accident.
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