Rescue teams worked tirelessly through piles of debris and wreckage on last Friday, following a devastating explosion and fire at a chemical factory in western India that resulted in at least nine deaths and 64 injuries. The incident occurred in Maharashtra state’s Thane district when the factory’s boiler exploded on Thursday, igniting a fire that spread to nearby factories and homes, according to administrative official Sachin Shejal.
The fire was eventually extinguished, but rescuers faced significant challenges in their search for additional bodies due to the extensive debris. As of now, two bodies have been identified while seven others are so badly burned that identification is impossible without DNA analysis. Authorities have requested DNA samples from the victims’ families to aid in this process.
The cause of the explosion, which sent a massive cloud of gray smoke over the area, is under investigation. The factory was engaged in the production of food coloring and utilized highly reactive chemicals prone to causing explosions, as reported by India’s National Disaster Response Force. The explosion was so powerful that it caused shock waves, damaging adjacent factories and shattering windows in nearby homes.
In response to the tragedy, Indian police have filed charges of culpable homicide, including negligence in handling toxic substances, against the factory’s owners. The incident highlights ongoing issues with industrial safety in India, where fires and accidents are common due to inadequate safety standards and lax regulatory enforcement. Activists have long criticized builders for cutting corners on safety to reduce costs and have accused civic authorities of negligence and apathy.
Efforts to improve safety regulations and enforcement continue to be a critical concern in preventing such tragedies in the future.