At least 10 dead and 64 injured in explosion at India chemical factory

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At least 10 people have been killed and more than 60 injured in western India after an explosion and fire ripped through a chemical factory.

Officials said the explosion, which occurred in the factory’s boiler, set other nearby factories and houses on fire in Thane on Thursday afternoon.

Thane is a city in Maharashtra just outside Mumbai, India’s financial capital.

The fire has been extinguished but rescuers were continuing their search for more bodies feared trapped in the debris of the factory, local administrative official Sachin Sejal said.

The authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion, he said.

At least 64 people were injured, including many women who were working at the factories affected. They are being treated in six nearby hospitals, Mr Sejal said.

Photos and videos of the explosion showed a thick cloud of grey smoke billowing over the area as people rushed out to safety.

The factory produced food colouring and used highly reactive chemicals that can cause explosions, India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said.

At least three more bodies were recovered by search and rescue personnel on Friday morning.

Maharashtra police officials filed charges of culpable homicide, including negligence in handling toxic substances, against the owners of the factory on Friday.

Authorities had rushed 10 fire engines to extinguish and control the fire and firefighting operations went on till 11pm, officials said.

Kailas Nikam, from the Disaster Management Cell of Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, said cooling operations were now underway.

The area is filled with the sharp smell of burnt chemicals, he said, according to Indian daily newspaper The Hindu.

Factory fires are common across India because of poor safety standards and lax enforcement of regulations.

Activists say builders often cut corners on safety to save costs and have accused civic authorities of negligence and apathy.

Additional reporting by agencies