Seven injured, 11 missing as blast triggers fire at pharma factory in Maharashtra's Raigad

Mumbai: Seven persons were injured and 11 others went missing after a fire broke out following an explosion at a pharmaceutical company in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Friday, police said.

The blast occurred at Blue Jet Healthcare Company in the Mahad MIDC area around 10.30 am. It triggered a blaze, due to which barrels containing chemicals, which were kept on the premises, exploded, he said.

The authorities had earlier said that the fire broke out first and led to the blast at the factory.

Workers were inside the factory at the time of the incident. Seven of them sustained serious burns and were rushed to a hospital, he said.

During the search and rescue operation, it was found that at least 11 persons, who were on the premises at the time, were missing, the official said.

The fire engulfed chemicals and other inflammable materials on the premises, causing hurdles in the search and rescue operation, he said.

Ten vehicles of the fire brigade were engaged in the firefighting operation and the blaze was later extinguished, the official said, adding that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Police and fire brigade teams are carrying out the search operation and a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also been roped in, he said.