4 Killed, 20 Injured And Several Missing After Surat Factory Fire

Four workers were killed and 20 others injured after a fire broke out in a chemical factory in Gujarat's Surat city, officials said on Sunday.

The blaze erupted around 10.30 pm on Saturday due to a blast in a chemical container and spread fast to other parts of the unit of Anupam Rasayan India Limited, located in Sachin Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) area, Surat in-charge Chief Fire Officer Basant Pareek said.

Officials of the Sachin GIDC police station earlier in the day said a worker was killed and three others were missing. They later confirmed four deaths in the incident.

"A charred body was found in the factory at night, while the bodies of three other missing workers were found in the factory premises on Sunday," police inspector D V Baldaniya said.

As many as 20 workers were injured and undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Surat, he said.

After the fire was reported on Saturday night, 15 fire tenders were rushed to the site. The blaze was controlled after hectic efforts for about two hours, Mr Pareek said.

The Anupam Rasayan company in a statement said the "unfortunate fire incident" occurred at one of the manufacturing blocks of the factory.

"The cause for the incident is being investigated by our special team," it said, adding that the 20 injured people are undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

"Our priority is currently our workers and employees. As a responsible corporate, we stand committed to supporting our affected employees and their families," the company said.

"We are trying to assess the damage and will take appropriate actions to operationalise the plant shortly. Also, we are covered for the loss of assets and loss of profits under insurance," it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)