india

Updated: Aug 31, 2019 23:26 IST

Thirteen people were killed and 58 injured in a massive fire that broke out on Saturday morning at a chemical factory in north Maharashtra’s Dhule district after the leakage of a chemical, the police said. The state government announced an investigation into the incident.

The fire erupted at 9.45am after the first shift at the factory, located in Waghadi village, had started. According to the police, the leakage of the chemical sparked the fire, followed by explosions of multiple nitrogen gas cylinders that stoked the blaze.

Six women were among the 13 killed at the factory run by Rumit Chemsynth Private Limited, which manufactures chemicals for use in the pharmaceutical industry, PTI reported, citing a senior police officer whom it didn’t name.

“About 58 people, including workers and villagers, are taking treatment in two government-run and two private hospitals in Shirpur and Dhule city. The fire has been doused and the cooling operation was underway till late in the evening. The incident spot is under observation to avoid any chemical reactions after the fire,” said an official at the Dhule collector’s office, requesting anonymity.

The district administration evacuated Waghadi and nearby Subhash Nagar village to avoid any fallout of the fire and leak of chemicals. Although 100 workers were on the first shift in the factory, only about 35 reported for duty because of a local festival.

The Maharashtra government announced a probe into the incident and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh would be made to the families of the dead.

Shiv Sena leader Dadaji Bhuse, who has the title of guardian minister, said strict action would be taken if any illegality or foul play was found in the investigation.

“The incident it very unfortunate. We mobilised all the resources including teams of fire brigades, state disaster response force, ambulances to ensure that fire comes under control at the earliest and the affected people get speedy treatment,” he said.

The pollution control board collected samples of the chemicals in the factory. “The factory was into manufacturing of ointments used for fungal infection of the skin. It had methyl and ethyl alcohol in stock as raw material in the factory,” a policemen at the local police superintendent’s office said.

Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Fadnavis about the incident.

“Anguished to learn about the loss of lives due to explosion at a chemical factory in Dhule, Maharashtra. Have spoken to CM @Dev_Fadnavis, state govt is doing everything possible to assist the people in need. My condolences with the bereaved families. May injured recover soon,” Shah tweeted.