Date: April 13, 2020
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra (India)
Address: 49/2 TTC Industrial Area Pawne 400703
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Powdered Chemicals
Industry: Surfactant Manufacturer
Equipment: Feed Tank
Company: Galaxy Surfactants
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: Two Dead, Three Injured
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Galaxy Surfactants provides surfactants and specialty care ingredients to the home and personal care industries. It was founded in 1980, has seven manufacturing facilities (five in India, one in Egypt, and one in the US) and manufactures raw materials for raw materials for soaps, detergent and other personal hygiene products.
Incident Description:
On April 13, 2020, Powder & Bulk Solids reported an explosion at a chemical plant in Mumbai, India.
The Business Standard reported that two workers were killed and three were seriously injured during the incident, which occurred at around noon when raw material was being added to a reactor. The Superintendent of Police reported that the force of the explosion could be felt four or five kilometers away.
According to the Mumbai Mirror, the material was for hand sanitizers. The company had recently obtained permission to manufacture hand sanitizers in response to the increasing demand, and the day of the explosion was the first day of production.
While the Tarapur MIDC fire brigade was conducting cooling and search operations, most of the surrounding businesses were shut down. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.
Sources:
Business Standard
Powder & Bulk Solids
Mumbai Mirror