At least 18 killed in sanitiser factory fire

MAHARASHTRA DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER AJIT PAWAR HAS ORDERED A PROBE INTO THE INCIDENT

At least 18 people, including 15 women, were killed in a fire that broke out on Monday at an industrial plant near Pune. While the cause of the fire could not been ascertained, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has ordered a probe into the incident, a statement from his office said.

The fire broke out at around 4pm at the SVS Aqua Technologies plant, which manufactures chemicals for water purifiers, at Urawade village, around 40 kilometers from Pune, officials in the fire department of the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) said.

Eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control by around 6.45pm, the officials said. The fire department personnel were forced to demolish a portion of the walls to gain access to the plant for rescue operations, the officials said.

“We have recovered 18 persons so far. The search is on to check if there is still anyone trapped inside,” said Sandesh Shirke, sub-divisional officer of Maval, Mulshi area. The director of the firm, Nikunj Shah, said, “The chemical produced at the pant is not inflammable and we suspect a short circuit as the cause of the fire.”