5 workers killed in explosion at Gujarat chemical plant; operations suspended

Five workers were killed and five others critically injured when a powerful explosion occurred at a chemical plant in Gujarat's Bharuch district. The blast took place around 11 pm at Synzeal Pharmachem in Saykha, during a hydrogenation process. The force of the explosion scattered machinery and caused panic in the surrounding industrial area, with the impact felt up to 15 km away.

The tragedy claimed the lives of Bhavik Vasava, Arjun Kumar, Aniket Kumar, Jaydeep Patel, and Vrund Talaviya. Priyanshu Kumar, Pawan Kumar, Pratik Prajapati, Mausam Kumar, and Shiv Dayal are among the critically injured and are receiving treatment at a hospital in Bharuch.

Around 20 workers were present in the factory at the time of the incident. SynZeal, headquartered in Ahmedabad, began operations in May 2011 and is certified to ISO standards. The company specializes in producing stable isotope-labelled products, metabolites, and specialized research materials for pharmaceutical companies and research laboratories.

The exact cause of the explosion remains unknown, but it is believed to involve the highly flammable hydrogen gas. The Industrial Safety and Health Department has launched an investigation into the accident to determine the cause and whether industrial safety requirements were adhered to.