Explosion kills eight people in Mumbai’s chemical factory

An explosion and fire at a chemical factory in Mumbai, Western India, has killed at least eight people, and left some 60 others injured, the officials told media.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the National Disaster Response Force rescuers carried the dead body of a person after an explosion and fire at a chemical factory in Dombivali near Mumbai, India

Rescuers combed through piles of debris and wreckage on Friday searching for bodies after the incident a day earlier at the Amudan Chemical company in Maharashtra state’s Thane district.

An explosion in the factory’s boiler led to a fire that affected nearby factories and houses, administrative official Sachin Shejal told The Associated Press news agency.

Two bodies have been identified so far while others are burned beyond recognition, Shejal said. “We have asked the family members of the victims to submit DNA samples that can help us identify the bodies,” he added.

The explosion was so powerful that it sent huge shockwaves through the area where the factory is located in the city of Dombivli, damaging adjacent factories and shattering glass windows in nearby houses, reportedly leaving a big crater at the spot.