Maharashtra: 3 killed, several injured in Palghar chemical factory fire

At least 3 people were killed and 14 people were injured in a massive blast in the boiler of a chemical factory at Tarapur’s Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area of Palghar in Maharashtra.

The explosion was as strong as it shattered the window glasses of buildings as far as 3 kilometers away and felt in 8-10 kilometers radius.

The explosion occurred in Novaphene Specialties Private Limited in E-107 unit of MIDC at around 11 PM and triggered a fire in five more factory units nearby.

Locals say that after the blast, a lot of thick smoke spread in the area and electricity in the houses got cut off.

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“There is a fire after boiler blast in the Boisar industrial estate. Our team has reached the spot with the fire brigade,” Manjunath Singe, Superintendent of Police, Palghar said.

"The fire has spread to other companies adjacent to the company and details about casualty is yet to be ascertained," he added.

The fire tenders were trying to extinguish the fire that was rapidly spreading in the surrounding areas. Tarapur Atomic Power Station, India's largest nuclear power station is also located on Boisar-Tarapur road and is just 20 kilometers away from the explosion spot.

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Here are the highlights of Palghar chemical factory fire:

# The fire has been doused now. Eyewitnesses say the blast sounded like a huge bomb.

#  Rescue operations are still on and the fire has not been fully doused yet.

# All fire brigade and police staff have been advised to wear masks. The chemicals are unknown yet but the air is toxic.

# Police and fire brigade teams are trying to rescue people stranded in the fire. Meanwhile, the three deceased have been identified as Pintu Kumar Gautam, Janu Adaria, and Alok Nath.

# The fire brigade is trying to douse the flames that are rapidly spreading in the surrounding areas. Tarapur Atomic Power Station is just 20 Kilometer away from the spot.

# UPDATE: Death toll rises to three, some of the injured are serious.

# WATCH: Fire broke out in a chemical factory in Palghar's Tarapur. 5 people injured in the incident

#WATCH: Fire broke out in a chemical factory in Palghar's Tarapur. 5 people injured in the incident. (Earlier Visuals) #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/xgK3FhFngO

— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2018