Maha: Jalna steel factory mishap death toll rises to 7; 6 held

The death toll in the boiler explosion at a factory in Maharashtra's Jalna went up to seven with three more workers succumbing to their injuries, police said on Friday.

The incident had taken place at Om Sairam Steel and Alloys in Jalna's MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) area on Thursday afternoon.

"Three more people succumbed to the injuries on Friday, taking the toll in the incident to seven. The director of the plant, identified as Rajendra Bharuka, and five others have been arrested," a Chandanzira police station official said.

He identified the deceased as Bharat Ramdev Pandit (31), Ajay Kumar Sahani (22), Ramhit Singh Brajban Singh (20), Anku Kumar Lallan Oza (19), Rakesh Rampratap Pal (26), Raja Kumar Ashok Kumar Singh (25) and Pradeep Kumar Ram Yadhav (25).

A case has been registered in this connection under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery), the official said.

The complaint was filed by labour contractor Amol Kumar Nanduram, he added.

On Friday morning, a team from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) under senior official Ram Dahiphale inspected the factory and interacted with workers.

Chandanzira police identified those arrested, apart from Bharuka, as Jawhar Shankarlal Dembda, Pratik Rameshchand Gohel, Sunil Singh Shivnand, Shaikh Javed Shaikh Mannu and Vinod Narendra Rai.