Surat: A blast at a chemical factory in Bharuch district left 15 workers with burn injuries, five of whom are reported to be in critical condition. The critically injured workers have been shifted to hospitals in Surat and Vadodara for advanced treatment.The incident occurred at Metropolitan Eximchem Pvt Ltd, a chemical manufacturing unit in the Jhagadia industrial area. Following the explosion, authorities declared a major fire call, prompting fire teams from Jhagadia, Ankleshwar and Bharuch to rush to the spot and bring the blaze under control.Officials from the district administration, Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), and police also reached the site to assess the situation.Jhagadia mamlatdar Naresh Rana told the media that the explosion occurred at Plant-1 of the unit. “Around 20 workers were present at the time of the incident. Fifteen sustained burn injuries while five managed to escape safely. All the injured were initially shifted to Jayaben Modi Hospital in Ankleshwar, and five of them are reported to be critical,” he said.According to a company official, the unit manufactures agrochemicals, and the blast occurred during a chemical process involving methanol.The fire triggered thick black smoke that could be seen several kilometres away. Around 10 fire tenders were pressed into service, and firefighters took nearly four hours to bring the blaze under control using large quantities of water and foam.
