Five workers were killed and five injured after a reactor exploded at Syn Zeal Pharmachem in the Saykha Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation area of Bharuch district on Friday, prompting investigations by police, the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board.
The explosion occurred during a hydrogenation process involving a reported 5-kilolitre reactor at the pharmaceutical manufacturing unit in Vagra taluka. The force scattered machinery parts and debris across and beyond the factory premises, according to the report. A suspected gas leak following the blast caused panic in the surrounding area, with several people reporting eye irritation.
The deceased were identified as Jaydeep Patel and Bhavik Vasava, both from Amod; Vrund Talaviya from Talala in Gir-Somnath district; and Aniket Gautam and Arjunkumar Gautam, who were from Uttar Pradesh. Officials said Patel, who held a postgraduate degree in chemistry, worked as a senior officer. Talaviya was an officer in the production department, while the other victims were helpers at the unit.
Among the injured, Priyanshu Bahadurlal and Pratik Prajapati were shifted to Vadodara for advanced treatment. Pavan Gautam, Mausam Yadav and Shivdayal Yadav were treated and later discharged, according to the report.
Police have registered a case of accidental death and begun an investigation into the circumstances of the blast. Separate inquiries are being conducted by DISH and GPCB. The police said further action would be taken after the inquiry reports from the different departments are received.
The incident has also brought the unit’s operating history and ongoing construction into focus. A DISH official said preliminary findings indicated that the plant began operations in June, and that around 20 people were present when the explosion occurred. Construction of another plant and additional buildings was underway at the site, according to the official.
The multiple inquiries will examine the reactor operation, the hydrogenation process, conditions at the plant and the suspected gas leak reported after the explosion. The investigation will also establish the sequence of events that led to the deaths and injuries. No final cause of the blast has been stated in the material available so far.
The accident has renewed immediate concern over safety oversight at expanding industrial sites, where manufacturing operations and construction activity may occur within the same premises. In this case, the final findings of the police, DISH and GPCB inquiries are expected to determine the next steps and whether any further action is required.
