A massive fire broke out at Deepak Nitrite Company in Nandesari GIDC in Gujarat's Vadodara on Thursday followed by a huge explosion, ANI reported. Seven workers were hospitalised, while around 700 people living in the vicinity of the factory were shifted to safer places, PTI reported quoting officials.
The explosion was so loud that it was heard from afar and the smoke was visible from a long distance. Several fire engines have been rushed to the spot.
"Efforts are on to douse the massive fire, in which no injury has been reported. Seven workers who had inhaled the smoke were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. As a precaution, nearly 700 people living in the rural areas adjoining the factory have been shifted to safer places," PTI quoted Vadodara Collector RB Barad as saying.
Some people posted visuals of the fire incident at the Deepak Nitrite plant on social media. In one video, dense smoke can be seen rising from the Nandesari facility.
In a statement, Deepak Nitrite said that they were monitoring the situation closely and the safety of employees and people in the vicinity was of foremost priority, CNBC-TV18 reported.
In recent months, Gujarat has seen several factory fire incidents.
Last month, 25 persons were injured after a fire broke out following a blast at Bharat Rasayan Ltd's chemical plant in Dahej in Gujarat's Bharuch district. The fire was brought under control after almost after six to seven hours.
On April 11, a massive explosion at Om Organics at Dahej GIDC had claimed the lives of six workers. The blast was triggered by a fire during a chemical process.
According to government data, between October 1, 2013 and September 30, 2018, a total of 989 workers died in 895 industrial units registered under the Factories Act. The largest number of workers died inside industrial units in Surat district (163), accounting for 16.5 per cent of the deaths.
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