4 workers dead, 2 serious after nitrogen gas leaks at pharma unit in Palghar near Mumbai

Mumbai/Palghar, Aug 21 (PTI) Four workers were killed and two others hospitalised after inhalation of nitrogen gas that leaked at a pharmaceutical company in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Thursday, officials said.

The incident took place at Medley Pharma located on plot number 13 of Boisar Industrial Estate, some 130 kilometres from the metropolis, they said.

Chief of Palghar district disaster management cell, Vivekanand Kadam, said gas leaked from the nitrogen reaction tank at the pharma company between 2.30 pm and 3 pm, seriously affecting six workers.

"The six workers were rushed to Shinde hospital, where four of them died around 6.15 pm. They have been identified as Kalpesh Raut (43), Bengali Thakur (46), Dheeraj Prajapati (31), and Kamlesh Yadav (31). At the time of the incident, 36 workers were present in the plant," he said.

The condition of the two injured persons, Rohan Shinde (35) from Boisar and Nilesh Hadal (37) from Dahanu, is critical and they are being constantly monitored in the ICU, doctors at the facility said.

Local police and Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) officials visited the spot and began preliminary investigations.

"A probe is underway to see if there were lapses in safety protocols in place for such processes. The exact cause will be determined after technical assessment of the nitrogen tank," another official said.

A case has been registered and further probe is underway, a police official informed.

Officials said Kalpesh Raut is a resident of Chinchani in Dahanu, while Thakur hails from Patna in Bihar. Prajapati is a resident of Shivajinagar in Bosiar's Salvad area. Yadav hails from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. PTI DC COR KRK NP BNM