Lucknow: Six labourers were killed in a chemical explosion that took place in a petro-chemical factory in Bijnore district on Wednesday.
Eleven persons were working at the accident site in the Mohit Petro Chemical factory that produces ethanol when the explosion took place.
Two others were seriously injured and have been admitted to a local hospital. One labourer is missing.
Bijnore SP Umesh Singh said that the blast took place when the labourers were repairing a tank.
“The methane gas tanker had developed faults and the labourers were fixing it. While welding, the gas which is highly inflammable, caught fire leading to the explosion”, the SP said.
The SP said that a case of negligence was being lodged against the owners of the factory for violating safety norms and allowing welding without taking adequate precautions.
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the incident and asked officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured persons.
Meanwhile, the deceased have been identified as Bal Govind, Ravi, Lokendra, Kamalvur, Vikrant and Chetram.
No compensation for the families of the deceased has yet been announced. The district administration has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
