Thane: It was a pralay' for five seconds and everything was over. That's how Avdesh Kumar summed up the Thane factory blast that snuffed out nine lives. Kumar was a worker at the chemical factory where a blast on Thursday also injured over 60. It took only five seconds and everything was finished like pralay' (cataclysm), said Kumar, recalling the chaos and panic as metal pieces and debris flew in all directions.
Kumar spoke to the media after receiving treatment for his injuries. The sky was filled with flying metal pieces and glasses. It was total havoc, said the worker, describing the devastation after a boiler exploded on Thursday at Amudan Chemicals in Dombivli MIDC area of Maharashtra's Thane district. The factory worker said he was hit by a flying 5-kg angle in the back, causing profuse bleeding and excruciating pain.
Amid the pandemonium, Kumar said he sought help from those around him but everyone was in a frenzied scramble for safety. Everyone was running helter-skelter, trying to save their lives, he recounted. The powerful blast triggered widespread destruction at the factory. Everything was damaged, with the roof and structure collapsing. Nothing is left now, he said.