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7 suffer burns after chemical bucket explodes at factory in Uttar Pradesh's Noida
The blast triggered a huge fireball, leaving nearby workers with 30 to 40% burns from both the explosion and chemical exposure.
Noida: Seven people sustained injuries in Noida’s Sector 8 after a 30-litre bucket filled with chemicals used to prepare paint exploded following addition of a highly flammable cellulose nitrate, police said on Thursday, adding that their condition is stable.
The explosion caused a massive fireball, causing 30% to 40% burn injuries to the workers nearby, due to both the blast and chemical exposure, it added.
“On Thursday, around 3.35 pm, we received a call on the emergency helpline number that a blast took place at a paint factory in F Block. On visiting the spot, we found that a bucket used in the paint-making process had exploded, creating a large fireball. Workers in close proximity suffered burn injuries, and chemicals also splashed onto them,” said a police officer, requesting anonymity.
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Police alerted the fire department and four fire tenders were dispatched.
Gautam Budh Nagar chief fire officer (CFO) Pradeep Kumar Chaubey, meanwhile, said the blaze had already doused when the fire services arrived.
“When we reached the site, the fire had already been extinguished and had not spread. It is suspected that the blast occurred after a worker added an excessive quantity of cellulose nitrate to a 30-litre bucket during the paint-making process,” the CFO added.
Police said all the injured, in their 30s and 40s, were rushed to a government hospital in Sector 39, from where they were referred to a hospital in Delhi for burn injury treatment.
“The five injured — Ashish, Rakesh, Arjun, Akhilesh, and Ajay -- have been identified by their single names. Efforts are underway to identify two others, who were also shifted to a hospital in Delhi,” said a police officer, who rushed them to Sector 39 hospital.
No case has been registered as yet in the incident, police added.
