Five workers killed, as many injured in blast at chemical unit in Gujarat's Bharuch

As many as five workers were killed and five others injured after an explosion ripped through a chemical manufacturing unit in Gujarat's Bharuch district, officials said on Saturday.

The blast occurred around 10 pm on Friday during a hydrogenation process at SynZeal Pharmachem in the Saykha GIDC area in Vagra taluka, triggering a toxic leak of methylene dichloride (MDC) gas, they said.

SynZeal Pharmachem, set up in Saykha only a year ago, has been manufacturing pharma intermediaries, Bharuch Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manisha Manani said.

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The explosion, suspected to have occurred during a hydrogenation process, was so powerful that it ripped apart the reactor tank, scattering machinery parts across the premises, she said.

Superintendent of Police Akshyaraj Makwana told PTI that five people were killed in the blast, while five others sustained injuries.

The deceased were identified as Jaydeep Maheshbhai Patel and Bhavik Dilipkumar Vasava, both hailing from Amod; Vrund Talaviya from Talala in Gir Somnath district and Uttar Pradesh natives Aniket Harilal Gautam and Arjunkumar Ramsingh Gautam, he said.

The injured workers, Pavankumar Ramsingh Gautam, Mausamkumar Ramsevak Yadav, Shivdayal Ramavatar Yadav, Pratik Pravin Prajapati and Priyanshu Bahadurlal, who hailed from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, are undergoing treatment, Makwana said.

An official of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) said the blast during the hydrogenation process triggered a leak of methylene dichloride (MDC) gas.

Officials from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board, DISH and police reached the spot, and the cause of the explosion is being investigated.