6 Dead In Factory Blast In Gujarat's Vadodara, Over Dozen Taken To Hospital

Six people were killed and 15 were injured in factory blast in Gujarat’s Vadodara on Saturday. The Vadodara fire department has sent a team of rescuers and fire engines at the spot. The factory is located in Padra area of Vadodra. As many as five ambulances are at the spot. Over dozen people have been successfully rescued from the blaze and rushed to a nearby hospital. The exact cause of the blast is being examined, the officials at the spot said. Out of 15 people injured in the factory blaze, seven people are said to be in critical condition. The rescue operation is still underway.

Surat Blaze

This is the second major incident of fire in Gujarat. On January 10, a head-on collision between a school bus and LPG tanker in Surat. However, a massive tragedy was averted as school children were rescued in time after a head-on collision with an LPG tanker in Gujarat’s Surat. The LPG tanker exploded after the crash and the bus also caught fire. But miraculously, all school students travelling in the bus were rescued in time. No loss of life or any injury were reported from the incident. The accident took place in early morning hours in Surat’s Olpad area when the LPG tanker crashed and overturned on the main road. The LPG tanker exploded due to the impact of the accident. the school bus also caught fire. But due to alertness of staff travelling in the bus, all school children were taken to safety immediately. Loud explosions could be heard from a distance. People are still in shock even as the fire department is trying to douse the massive flame.

Coaching Centre Tragedy

Last year, the city witnessed a massive fire that claimed 22 lives. A probe into the causes of devastating fire in Surat at a coaching class which claimed lives of 22 students highlighted various lapses on part of officials of the local municipal corporation as well as the builders. The probe also found that the structure where the coaching class was operated was prone to fire incidents. It had low ceilings, and tyres were used for sitting in place of chairs.

The builders had hidden the fact that they had added fourth floor to the three-storey Takshashila Complex while seeking regularisation of the structure in 2013 by paying "impact fee". According to a top bureaucrat, the officials concerned did not conduct a physical inspection of the building before approving the proposal of the builder. The fire was triggered by a spark in the compressor of the air conditioner fixed between the first and second floors of the Takshashila Complex last Friday, and spread through a vertical display panel to the top floor with a dome structure where the coaching centre was located, as per a preliminary report submitted by Urban Development Department Principal Secretary Mukesh Puri to the state government Monday.