Two people were killed and at least six seriously injured following a massive explosion at the Aditya Birla Group’s Century Rayon manufacturing unit at Shahad, in Thane district, on Saturday morning.
The blast took place when workmen were filling a nitrogen gas-padded tanker with carbon disulphide. The police gave the names of the dead as Shailesh Yadav and Rajesh Srivastava.
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Company says two 'missing'
Sources at the site of the blast said two people were dead, and the police and the company claimed that two were "missing".
A company helper, Anant Dingore, and tanker driver Pawan Yadav were missing, the police said. The injured were identified as Pandit Laxman More, Hansraj Charot, Sagar Zalate, Amit Bharnuke, Prakash Nikam and Mohammed Arman.
Access Restricted and Gruesome Impact
The police prevented journalists from accessing the scene of the accident. The media was also barred from the company’s nearby hospital, where the injured were admitted.
The explosion was so loud that it could be heard several kilometres away. Sources said the bodies of the victims were torn to shreds.
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Company's Official Statement
The company said in a statement that a tanker “of a third party, which arrived from outside at the plant site on September 23 at about 11.15am, got ruptured while it was under inspection before filling”.
“Two casualties have been identified and four persons are undergoing treatment at a hospital and they are all stable. A search is on for two others who were untraceable,” the statement added.
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No FIR filed yet
Local firemen and fire services of the company fought the blaze that broke out following the blast, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of the disaster management cell of the Thane Municipal Corporation.
Despite the gravity of the situation, the police did not file an FIR against those in charge of the plant, a unit of Century Textiles & Industry, which is managed by Grasim Industries, a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group. The police only filed an accidental death report. Local politicians also did not react to the tragedy.
Incidentally, Century Rayon has an ISO certification for health and safety. Apart from viscose filament yarn, it manufactures carbon disulphide gas, sulphuric acid, caustic soda, hydrochloric acid and liquid chlorine.
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