A blast at a pharmaceutical unit in Gujarat’s Bharuch district killed five workers and injured five others during a hydrogenation process on Friday night, triggering a leak of methylene dichloride gas and an investigation by police and industrial safety authorities.
The explosion occurred at around 10 pm at Syn Zeal Pharmachem in the Sayakha GIDC area, officials said. The unit, which was established in Sayakha about a year ago, manufactures pharmaceutical intermediates, according to Bharuch Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manisha Manani.
Manani said the blast was suspected to have occurred during the hydrogenation process and was powerful enough to rupture the reactor tank. Machinery parts were scattered across the factory premises after the explosion, she said.
Bharuch Superintendent of Police Akshyaraj Makwana confirmed that five workers died in the incident. The deceased were identified as Jaydeep Maheshbhai Patel and Bhavik Dilipkumar Vasava, both from Amod; Vrund Talaviya from Talala in Gir Somnath district; and Aniket Harilal Gautam and Arjunkumar Ramsingh Gautam, who were from Uttar Pradesh.
The five injured workers were identified as Pavankumar Ramsingh Gautam, Mausamkumar Ramsevak Yadav, Shivdayal Ramavatar Yadav, Pratik Pravin Prajapati and Priyanshu Bahadurlal. Police said the injured workers, who hail from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, were undergoing treatment.
An official from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health said the explosion during the hydrogenation process also caused a leak of methylene dichloride, or MDC, gas. The chemical is used in industrial processes and can pose risks to workers and nearby areas if released without adequate containment.
Officials from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board, the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health and the police reached the site after the incident. Their presence brings multiple layers of industrial oversight into the investigation, including workplace safety, pollution control and the circumstances surrounding the operation of the reactor.
The incident occurred in Sayakha GIDC, an industrial estate that houses manufacturing units, including facilities linked to the pharmaceutical sector. The blast has again placed attention on the safety risks associated with chemical manufacturing, where process failures, equipment damage and hazardous-gas leaks can affect both workers inside a plant and the surrounding industrial environment.
Authorities have not yet established the confirmed cause of the explosion. The cause is being investigated, and further findings from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and the police are expected to determine what happened during the hydrogenation process and whether safety procedures were followed.
The immediate official response remains focused on treatment for the injured workers, site assessment and the investigation into the reactor failure and gas leak.
