Gas leak at pharma unit sparks fire; 1 worker dies, 5 others hurt

KALYAN: One worker died and five others were injured after a fire broke out on the premises of a pharmaceutical company in Ambernath around 4.15pm on Saturday. The blaze was preceded by two blasts in a manufacturing plant and the fire spreading rapidly to other parts of the unit.
Just before the fire broke out, many workers were present at the unit, the police said, adding that most managed to escape from the spot, but six, who were in close proximity, got suffocated after inhaling nitric acid and had to be rushed to hospital. The worker who died, Suryakant Jimal, was among them.
The five injured persons - Raghunath Das, Pavanram Bid, Lakhvinder Shergil, Samir Parte and Gautam Jadhav - are undergoing treatment at CritiCare hospital in Ambernath.
A thick "yellowish" smoke was seen billowing out of the pharma unit's premises and it spread to surrounding areas. People from around the vicinity of the pharma company complained of difficulty in breathing and irritation in the eyes. The fire was spreading and was visible from about 2km away, said residents around the place. The plant of Blue Jet Healthcare Company is located at Vadol MIDC on Ambernath-Badlapur Road.
Leakage of nitrogen from a tank of the plant came in contact with some finished product, causing the explosions that sparked the fire, said senior inspector R K Kote of Ambernath police station. Fire officer from Ambernath, Bhagwat Sonawane, however, said that a proper probe will have to be done to ascertain the cause.
Fire-fighting vehicles from Ambernath and nearby cities of Ulhasnagar and Kalyan were pressed into service. Fire-fighters said that it took them more than three hours to control the fire.
An accidental death report has been filed, the police said, adding that they will take help of officials from the fire brigade and industrial safety department to see if there was any negligence on the part of the company.