At least seven workers were killed and several more
were feared trapped after a blast at a chemical factory in western
India on Saturday, police said.
As many as 43 workers were rescued and taken to hospitals after the
explosion in the plant located on the outskirts of Dhule city in
Maharashtra state.
"Seven people have died in the blast. It is not clear what kind of
explosion it was, our forensic teams are investigating whether it was
a blast in the boiler unit, or a gas cylinder or chemicals
explosion," area police official Raju Bhujbal said.
The powerful blast rocked nearby homes and buildings and sparked a
huge fire, Bhujbal said. News channels showed footage of clouds of
black smoke billowing from the factory.
"Several more workers could be trapped in the factory," Bhujbal said,
adding that there were varying accounts as to how many people could
possibly still be inside, ranging from 60 to 100.
The death toll could rise as the condition of several of the injured
was said to be serious, he added.
A screenshot taken from a video posted on social media shows thick smoke billowing from factory after the explosion.
