Twin blasts rock Tarapur unit

Two major explosions took place in a pharmaceutical unit at Tarapur MIDC chemical zone on Tuesday afternoon. The explosions, according to the police, could have proved disastrous had it not been for the timely escape by 20 workers who were at the pharma unit at the time of the explosions.

The fire was reported from SS Pharmachem, which is located on plot K 44/45. The industrial unit is a bulk manufacturer of drugs and chemicals.

The explosion, said sources, could have taken place in the reactors during the processing of drugs.

It took the fire brigade four hours to douse the fire. The impact of the blast was visible around a radius of the 8km from the site of the explosion.

A police official said that nearly 20 workers escaped the fire in the nick of time. “No casualties have been reported... But had not the workers fled the place, it could have been a major disaster,” said the official.

“It took us four hours to douse the flames that could be seen from afar, about 8km from the company where the explosion took place,” said assistant inspector Mahadev Achrekar of Boisar MIDC police station.

The officer said that they would report this incident to the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health before initiating action against the owners of the industrial unit.