Dombivli blast toll rises to 10, rescuers fear more trapped

A National Disaster Response Force team at the blast site in Dombivli on Friday. Pics/Prasun Choudhari

Officials from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Civil Defence Corp Maharashtra have recovered the bodies of ten individuals following a devastating blast that occurred in a chemical factory's boiler unit in Dombivli on the afternoon of May 23.

NDRF teams have been tirelessly working at the blast site, and the tenth deceased's body was recovered on Friday morning. The officials have expressed concerns that the death toll might increase. "There were 10 individuals present in the factory during the blast - a manager, six employees and three watchmen, according to the information provided to us," said an NDRF official present at the site.

Civil Defence Corp Maharashtra official Bimal Nathwani; (right) Rescuers are using drones to search for survivors and damage extent

"Rescue operations have been challenging due to the extensive damage caused by the blast. The factory premises have been rendered hazardous, complicating the search and recovery efforts," the NDRF officials added. The NDRF continues to search for the one missing individual, amid fears that their chances of survival are bleak.

Bimal Nathwani, a Civil Defence Corp Maharashtra official, told mid-day, "The flames were put out late on Thursday after a cooldown operation that lasted almost eight to nine hours. Till that time, we had recovered the bodies of seven individuals. By 2.30 pm on Friday, three more bodies had been pulled out."

He added, "Our team was the one to pull out the body of the ninth deceased while NDRF pulled out the body of the tenth. According to the information which we have received, there is one more individual who is trapped inside. His chances of survival are slim considering the intensity of the blast. Though there might be more than one individual still trapped inside the blast site, there is no way of confirming the exact number of people still trapped under debris."

He added, "We brought in drones to get an aerial view of the premises to see the extent of the damage caused and if there are any survivors whom a human eye might have missed." Meanwhile, a Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) official said, "Rescue work by the NDRF, KDMC and others is still underway as more people are feared trapped under the debris of the factory. The rescue operation was halted late last night [May 23] and resumed on Friday morning."