The explosion at the Dombivli chemical factory in Thane district last week occurred in a reactor and not a boiler, Maharashtra Labour Minister Suresh Khade has said. According to a PTI report, Khade, who visited the site on Monday, said a team of experts from Delhi will visit to conduct a probe and ascertain the exact cause of the blast.
The explosion at Amber Chemical Company in the Dombivli industrial area on Thursday claimed 11 lives and injured at least 60 people.
Witnesses near the factory reported massive plumes of smoke billowing from the site, and an explosion was heard as far as 3 km away. The impact of the blast was so severe that it shattered window panes of houses and damaged cars, roads and electric poles in the vicinity. The explosion has since been referred to as a boiler blast in several media reports.
"There is no boiler department in the company," Khade was quoted as saying by PTI.
While a reactor is a closed container where reactions are performed in chemical industries, boilers are units used to generate heat and steam for different processes.
Labour Minister Khade held discussions with the officials concerned and reassured them that a thorough investigation would be conducted to find out if the incident occurred due to human error or other factors.
Khade stressed the need for stringent safety measures to make sure that such incidents are avoided.
The minister, PTI reported, said the labour department would make efforts to secure higher compensation for blast victims and their families through legal recourse. This comes after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that the kin of those killed in the blast would be given Rs 5 lakh each, and the treatment expenses of the injured would be borne by the government.
CM Shinde said he would take the strictest action against those who were found guilty.
According to an IANS report, around 6 fire tenders, water tankers, and rescue teams rushed to the spot after a fire engulfed the building. Later, the district authorities deployed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) as well as police to help with the rescue mission, and also to ensure that the flames do not spread to the other industries in the area.