Palghar: Octogenarian woman killed, four injured in fire at chemical unit; one booked for culpable homicide

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An 85-year-old woman was killed and four others injured in a major fire and explosions at a small chemical unit in Vasai taluka of Maharashtra's Palghar district, officials said.

The incident occurred at Sativali village on Thursday afternoon, they said.

The deceased woman had given the ground floor space of her residence to the chemical plant to run its operations, while she herself lived on the mezzanine floor there, a fire brigade official said.

"A drum filled with thinner, an inflammable substance, was kept at the unit. While the liquid was being transferred, it resulted in a fire that triggered explosions around 4 pm," he said.

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After the blaze, the elderly woman's daughter ran out to safety. However, the woman got trapped inside and died on the spot, the official said.

"Four persons working at the unit sustained burn injuries and were admitted to a hospital. They are currently undergoing treatment," he said, adding that the fire brigade personnel put out the fire by around 9 pm.

An offence under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) was registered against the owner of the chemical plant, but no arrest has been made so far, police said.

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