Blast in building housing factory claims 5 lives in Meerut

While the exact cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained, officers said a preliminary probe suggested it may have taken place due to some use of chemicals in machines found in the factory

MEERUT Five people were killed and as many injured when a two-storey building housing a soap-making factory in Meerut’s Lohia Nagar locality collapsed after an explosion, said officials. Locals claimed that the blast was so strong that a few houses adjacent the factory got damaged and the windowpanes of a school also got damaged.

Police personnel and firefighters at the site after an explosion at a soap-making factory, at Lohia Nagar in Meerut on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)

The blast might have occurred due to some fault in chemical mixing and forensic experts were ascertaining the reason behind it.

The deceased might be labourers as they had not been identified yet, said district magistrate Deepak Meena.

The property in which the factory was being run on the ground floor for over five years belonged to one Sanjay Gupta and hired by Gaurav Tyagi. The DM ordered a probe into the incident. Equipment used in soap manufacturing was found at the spot, which indicated that either soap was manufactured in the unit or its packaging was being done here, said Meena.

The DM confirmed the deaths and said the five others injured had been admitted to a hospital. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved families and instructed district administration officials to provide proper treatment to those injured. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the victims.

Rescue teams of the district administration and the police were at work and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were expected to join them soon.