Two killed, four injured in explosion at firecracker unit in Palghar

PALGHAR: Two persons were killed, and four others were seriously injured after an explosion ripped through a firecracker manufacturing unit in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Tuesday, police said.

The tragedy comes close on the heels of the blast at a firecracker factory in Tamil Nadu, which claimed 23 lives and left many injured on Sunday.

The explosion occurred around 12 pm at a makeshift firecracker manufacturing unit operating out of a tin shed in an old farmhouse in Konsai village of Wada taluka, said Vivekanand Kadam, chief of the civic disaster management cell.

As many as 35 workers, mostly women, were engaged in manufacturing "twine bombs" (thread-bound crackers) at the time, he said.

"The explosion took place when a chemical mixing process was underway, killing one worker on the spot, and leaving a woman with 90 per cent burn injuries," an official from Wada police station said.

She later succumbed to her wounds at a hospital, he said.

Four other workers sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the Wada Rural Hospital. Some of them were later shifted to the Bhiwandi sub-district hospital and another care facility for advanced treatment, he said.

"Fire services and police reached the spot immediately to oversee rescue operations. The blaze following the explosion was quickly brought under control by the fire brigade," the official said.

According to the authorities, the deceased have been identified as Bhavesh Dileep Vavare (35) and Monica Sachin Padvale (30).

The injured included Monica Mahendra Jadhav (30), Jagruti Jagdish Gavate (27), Pratibha Pratap Pawar (30) and Monica Mohan Vardi (25).

As per preliminary investigations, raw materials were brought from outside to the unit, which had begun operations on April 10, and daily-wage workers from nearby villages, including Jamghar, Konsai, Palsai, and Alman, were employed at the facility, he said.

A police probe is underway to ascertain if the manufacturing unit possessed necessary licenses and followed safety protocols, he said.

"We are probing the exact cause of the fire and checking for any negligence regarding safety measures at the site," the official said, adding that a search is underway for the owners of the manufacturing unit.

The factory shed collapsed following the blast, sending splinters in the vicinity.

Body parts of the deceased were found some distance from the site of the powerful explosion, and have been sent for post-mortem, the official said.