Mumbai News: Death toll rises to 11 in Dombivli blast;

“The death toll has risen to 11 and it may rise as we suspect more bodies lying on the premises of the destroyed factory. The debris is being cleared,” said Kalyan Tehsildar Sachin Shejal.

Here are the most important news about the explosion at the chemical plant in Thane

1) Shejal said 64 people, including many women from factories in the area, were injured and are being treated in at least six different hospitals. AIMS Hospital in Dombivli is treating two dozen patients. The bodies of the deceased have been sent to government hospitals for postmortem, he added.

2) Ten fire tenders were deployed to control the fire and firefighting operations continued until after 11pm on Thursday. “Cooling operations are now underway,” said Kailas Nikam of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) disaster management department.

3) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a high-level investigation into the Dombivali boiler explosion. He also announced a compensation of ₹Rs 5 lakh each to the relatives of the deceased with the assurance that the government would take care of the treatment of the injured.

4) “An investigation will be conducted at the highest level and an inquiry will be initiated against the accused. No one will be spared. The relatives of the deceased will ₹5 lakh from the state government. The administration will fund the treatment of the injured…The corporation will also compensate the employees,” Shinde told media persons.

5) “The intensity of the blast was very high. 6-7 neighbouring factories were damaged. Residential buildings were also damaged. Highly hazardous enterprises like this one, which fall in the red category, will be relocated… The government has decided to shift such factories to non-residential areas,” the chief minister added, as quoted by ANI-

6) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also said that the administration is providing befitting relief in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “The boiler explosion incident at Amudan Chemical Company in Dombivli is tragic.

7) A senior official of the Thane Police Commissioner said that several police teams have been formed to investigate the case.

8) Charges have been filed against the proprietors of Amudan Chemical Private Limited – Malti Pradeep Mehta and Malay Pradeep Mehta – along with the director, administrator and other company officials in connection with the Dombivali boiler explosion. The charges have been filed under sections 304, 324, 326, 285, 286, 427 and 34 of the IPC.

9) Police said the accused was absconding after a case was registered against the Mehta family and the owner of the Amudan factory. Five teams were formed to arrest the accused and trace them. “Adequate precautions were not taken during the chemical process and storage of the raw materials and final products, which led to chemical explosions,” police added.

10) The affected chemical factory, Amudan Chemicals Private Limited, owned by Malay Mehta, produces food colours and uses peroxides, highly reactive and unstable chemicals that can cause violent explosions under certain conditions, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said on Thursday.

(With contributions from agencies)

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Published: May 24, 2024, 07:48 IST