Four workers were killed in an explosion at a chemical manufacturing unit in Chhatral GIDC in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district on Thursday afternoon, police said.
The incident occurred at Kovika Dyes and Intermediates in Phase 4 of the industrial estate while workers were fitting a pipe to a hot pressure vessel containing chemicals, according to police officials.
The deceased were identified as Vinodkumar Singh, 42, Teda Dehari, 18, and Sikandar Lakhan Dehari, 40, all residents of Jharkhand, and Laxman Meena, a resident of Udaipur.
According to preliminary findings, one of the connecting pipes attached to the pressure vessel exploded during the operation. The blast seriously injured the four workers, who died at the scene, an officer said.
Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty confirmed the deaths.
The exact cause of the explosion has not yet been established. Initial investigations suggest that excessive pressure may have built up inside the vessel, resulting in the blast.
Police are examining several possible causes, including mechanical failure, a chemical reaction during pipe fitting and potential lapses in safety procedures.
Forensic teams are inspecting the site to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine whether the unit complied with prescribed industrial safety standards.
Kovika Dyes and Intermediates is a Gujarat-based manufacturer and exporter of synthetic organic chemicals, acid dyes, direct dyes and dye intermediates.
Further investigation is underway to establish the circumstances that led to the explosion.
