Fire kills 18 in Pune chem-factory, PM Modi announces Rs2 lakh ex-gratia

Pune: As many as 18 persons, mostly women, were killed in a major fire, followed by explosions, that erupted in a sanitiser manufacturing factory in Maharashtra's Pune district on Monday afternoon, officials said.

The blaze which erupted around 3 p.m. in the chemical packaging section of a private chemical company, SVC Ltd, in the MIDC area of Pirangut village, was quickly spread within the enclosed premises, trapping many working there.

While at least 18 persons perished in the blaze, around 10 other workers are feared trapped or missing in the incident, said an official of Pune Rural Police Control.

All the bodies, which were completely charred, were sent to the government-run Sassoon General Hospital for autopsy, Shirke said. The bodies were burned beyond recognition and their identity will have to be ascertained by conducting a DNA test, officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences and also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakhs from the PMNRF for the kin of those who died due to the fire and Rs 50,000 would be provided to those injured, ANI reported.

Thick clouds of black-grey smoke could be seen billowing out of the factory premises alarming the locals, many of who rushed to the spot. Fire Brigade teams from MIDC, Mulshi, disaster rescue teams and others rushed to the spot to battle the conflagration.

Pune Collector Rajesh Deshmukh, Superintendent of Police Abhivan Deshmukh and other officials also rushed to the site to supervise the relief operations.

A company official said that while the blaze was brought under control by late evening, they were unable to provide any clues on how the fire could have started.

Tehsildar Abhay Chauhan had earlier said that 11 bodies were recovered as rescue operations were going on in full swing. Another six bodies were found later.

Locals who rushed to the spot said that many of the male workers managed to escape through the smoke and flames, and at one point the relief teams had to bulldoze a factory wall to rescue some others including women, trapped inside.