At least three people were killed and 15 injured when a series of blasts and a fire ripped through a chemical plant of a pharmaceutical company in Maharashtra’s Boisar near Mumbai late on Thursday.
According to preliminary reports, the blasts occurred in 25 drums containing 200 litres each of solvent at Novephene Specialities’ plant in Boisar MIDC at around 11:15 pm.
Three unidentified bodies were found in nearby factory of Arti Drugs when firemen entered the premises for cooling operations, Palghar SP Manjunath Singe said.
The 15 injured, three of whom are critical, have been admitted in three hospitals in Boisar, Singe said, adding that the number of casualties could go up.
Palghar district collector Prashant Narnaware, who reached the site early on Friday, said 40 blasts heard from the plant. Police, fire, revenue and health personnel were at the spot carrying out rescue operations.
