3 killed in boiler explosion

Three men lost their lives after a boiler exploded at the Trombay unit of Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd (RCF) late on Saturday afternoon. Five people sustained injuries and were rushed to a hospital inside the RCF premises for burn injuries.

All the victims were contract labourers hired for maintenance work of the factory and they resided nearby the unit.

The factory premises were shut for inspection, when a boiler that was undergoing maintenance work inside the factory exploded around 4.30 pm, on Saturday. Mumbai police spokesperson DCP Ashok Dudhe confirmed that the blast resulted in a fire that engulfed the building.

“As per preliminary information, maintenance work was on when the incident took place,” Mr Dudhe said.

The deceased have been identified as Govind Kumar, Mehmood Noor Mohammed and Dilip Pawar. The injured men have been identified as Jayshankar Sharma, Rahul Shinde and Shashikant Dalvi.

The RCF police, which rushed to the spot on learning of the blast, was still recording statements from concerned officials for further investigations till the reports last came in.

“Investigations are on to find out the cause behind the explosion. The two adjacent boilers have not suffered any damage and all other plants are safe and fully operational,” an RCF spokesperson said.

Speaking about aftermath of the incident, Mr Dudhe said, “No case has been registered at the moment. Our personnel are still conducting inquiries. The further course of action will be decided after investigations into the incident are complete.”

Police said as per one of the injured, the maintenance work was given to a private firm and the explosion occurred when the welding was going on.