SURAT – A devastating fire engulfed Ather Industries, a chemical manufacturing facility in Surat's Sachin GIDC area, on Wednesday night, leaving seven laborers dead and 24 others injured. The fire, which broke out between 1:30 and 2:00 AM, reportedly stemmed from an explosion, triggering widespread panic within the factory premises.
The intensity of the fire was so severe that it took firefighters over seven hours to bring it under control. Cooling operations continued throughout the day to prevent rekindling. Amidst the chaos, 24 laborers sustained serious burn injuries and were rushed to various hospitals in the city.
Concerns grew when seven laborers working in the factory went missing during the fire. A search operation was immediately launched involving Surat district officials, the fire department, GPCB officials, the Industrial Safety and Health Office Surat Zone, Mamlatdar Disaster, and police personnel.
Tragically, the search efforts yielded grim results. On Thursday morning, the bodies of all seven missing laborers were found in a mutilated condition near two chemical storage tanks of the factory. The deceased have been identified as Divyesh Kumar Patel, Santosh Vishwakarma, Sanat Kumar Mishra, Dharmendra Kumar, Ganesh Prasad, Sunil Kumar, and Abhishek Singh.
Out of the 24 injured laborers, the condition of eight remains critical. They are Sarvesh Kaushal Yadav (24), Umashankar Vijaynath Pandey (33), Omprakash Sushil Yadav (23), Vikash Ramavatar Chauhan (27), Mayur Himmatbhai Kathiriya (30), Shravan Roshanbhai Paswan (19), Keshankumar Ramdev Yadav (21), and Lavkush Rammilan Yadav (19).
The devastating fire highlights the urgent need for stricter safety measures and protocols in chemical manufacturing industries. An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the fire and prevent such tragedies from recurring.
