Five factory workers were charred to death and 16 critically injured in an explosion caused by a gas leak at a factory in Khanna town of Ludhiana district. Around 300 men and 70 fire tenders battled the blaze for over 12 hours and finally extinguished it at noon on Wednesday.
Tragedy struck at Sanjiv Agro Solvent Plant in Khanna’s Focal Point area around 11.45 pm on Tuesday when nearly 22 workers were on the night shift. Eyewitnesses said a blast occurred in the boiler unit and caused a fire.
The fire spread to the area around the godowns where rice bran and coal were stored, both highly inflammable. Three trucks parked there were reduced to ash.
Workers called up the fire department which reached the spot around 12.30 am. Khanna Fire Officer Yashpal, who was among the first to reach the factory with his team of 40, said the flames were over 30 feet high.
“I have never seen such flames. The smell of hexane was thick in the air causing nausea. The burning of rice bran and coal added to the heat,” he said. Some firefighters also suffered burn injuries.A total of 70 firefighting vehicles were pressed into service, including some from nearby Gobindgarh, Samrala, Amloh and Rajpura. The Fire Officer said they were able to contain the fire or it could have led to massive damage in the industrial area. “Even scorched trees and plants growing across the road near the factory premises,” said Yashpal.
As per preliminary investigation, the explosion in the boiler and subsequent fire was caused due a hexane gas leak, Khanna SDM PS Sodhi said. However, Satbir Singh, Director, Boilers, ruled out that the incident took place due to the boiler blast. He said a flash fire took place after the leak of hexane gas.
Sanjiv Agro Solvent Plant manufactures edible vegetable oil that is extracted with the use of hexane. “Hexane gas, rice bran and coal proved to be a fatal combination. All three elements are highly inflammable and led to the massive fire,” said Khanna SDM PS Sodhi.
Sources said a huge quantity of hexane gas was in the containers when the accident took place, further fuelling the blaze. The absence of firefighting equipment also compounded damage.
Anil Kumar, the lone worker to have sustained minor injuries, said there was first a gas leak followed by an explosion. He was in the area around the godowns when he heard the explosion and scaled the wall. “There was inadequate fire safety equipment in the factory. The tragedy could have been averted...” Sanjiv Agro Solvent Plant owner Naval Aggarwal refused to comment on the lack of fire safety measures. “I have been running the factory for 20 years. No such incident has ever taken place in the factory. I am in deep shock. My dream project has gone up in smoke,” he said.
Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident and promised action against those found guilty. SDM PS Sodhi would submit his report in a week. The Director, Boilers, from Jalandhar and a forensic team from Chandigarh would also probe the incident.
The CM has announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for the deceased and offered free treatment for the injured. The injured were first rushed to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, and from there they were further referred to PGI, Chandigarh.
