Day after Shadnagar factory blast, victims recount the horror
Day after blast, the site was cordoned off with police markers as the clues team and safety inspectors combed through the remains
Samit Kumar, 18, had joined South Glass Pvt. Ltd. just eight days before the machinery blew up on Friday evening. The blast claimed five lives and left over a dozen workers injured.
Lying on the hospital bed at Shadnagar’s Viva Hospital, with limbs wrapped in bandages, Kumar said, “I had a sense of uneasiness within me as if I was warned. I didn’t like it here and had already booked my tickets back to my native place in Bihar for July 3 and then this happened. I hope I make it to Bihar.”
The hospital is treating a total of 12 victims, including three women and two patients in the ICU.
A day after the blast, the site, located about a kilometre off the NH-44 amid the green cover of Shadnagar, was cordoned off with police markers as the clues team and safety inspectors combed through the remains.
The factory floor could be seen covered with shards of glass and patches of blood. Shoes and gloves were scattered up to 50 steps from the humungous autoclave installed at the left end of the room. A portion of the roof, with exhaust fans installed strategically as vents could be seen torn apart by the metal valve that flew away due to high pressure. It beheaded one of the five workers killed in the explosion.
“When the explosion happened, the sound was louder than anything I’ve ever heard. Everything was shaking. The glass in the premises came shattering down and pierced through our friends in front of our eyes,” said Sanjay Gupta, a native of Bihar, who has been working in the plant for the last 12 years. At the time of the explosion, there were about 25 workers.
The factory is a manufacturer of specialised glass products, including windshield glass for heavy vehicles. “This is the first time such an incident has happened here. The machine was not working properly for the last two days, however, the operator neither flagged it to workers nor got it repaired,” Mr. Gupta argued.
“I saw the lid flying out of the roof. Men were frantically escaping from the premises. There were three hours remaining for the shift to end. Who would have thought this will happen,” said watchman Himanshu Singh.
Amit Kumar and Ravin Kumar from Jharkhand have been waiting outside the ward in their uniform, a maroon T-shirt with the company’s name on the chest, since last evening. “Our management has not spoken to us yet about this incident. All of us live here alone. Even our families cannot come here.”
Those still undergoing treatment include Shubodh Kumar, who will be undergoing surgery to get pieces of glass d from the back of his head, Govind Gupta, who sustained injuries on his head and limbs, Roshan Kumar and three local women workers — Sujata, Mamata and Neelamma.
Meanwhile, officials from the labour department have estimated a compensation of about ₹81.81 lakh for the five deceased, including Ratikant, 25, Ram Seth, 24, Ram Prakash, 28, Chitaranjan, 19 and Nikhat Kumar, 24, each of whom was on a ₹15,000 monthly salary.
The compensation is being calculated based on the age factor and bodily damage for injured as well. The police have booked a case against the management.
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