Ankleshwar factory blast leaves one dead

SURAT: One worker was killed while 11 others were injured, three of them seriously when a chemical barrel exploded at a firm in Ankleshwar GIDC area late on Monday night.
According to Ankleshwar-GIDC police, a barrel containing '4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid' exploded when some of the labourers were weighing barrels of this chemical in the manufacturing unit of Survival Technologies Pvt Ltd.
The deceased was identified as Mohammad Zahid Hussain (19), who used to work and live at the factory, said police. Those who are seriously injured are Lalan Paswan, Mitesh Vasani and Prakash Paswan.
"All victims are labourers working in that factory. When they were weighing the chemicals on an electronic scale last night, one of the drums suddenly exploded due to short-circuit in the scale," said assistant sub-inspector of Ankleshwar GIDC Paresh Hasoti.
Zahid suffered maximum burns as he was very near to that drum.
"Apart from them, eight other labourers received minor burns. We have lodged a case of accidental death and started our investigation," said Hasoti.