Mandya, Karnataka: At least two people have died and three others are in critical condition after a chemical leak at a factory in Mandya district, Karnataka, officials confirmed on Sunday. The accident occurred at the Keerthi Chemical Industry near Karekatte village in Basaralu.
The plant had previously been shut down following protests by farmers who claimed their crops were damaged by an old chemical leak. Following this, work was underway to dismantle some machinery at the factory when the accident occurred. The deceased are believed to be residents of Bihar.
Police have launched an investigation and a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at the Basaralu police station.
Contractor Missing
Contractor Guddu Khan has gone missing following the incident. A worker told the media that a search is underway for him. According to the worker, seven to eight people were present inside the factory at the time of the accident.
“This incident happened around 10 a.m. today. We’re from Bihar. Seven or eight of us were working there. It’s a chemical plant, and the tank exploded. Six or seven of us were present, and we were injured. New work had started just a month ago. Cutting and fitting was underway at the time. Currently, two people are injured,” said laborer Rajiv Kumar.
Another laborer, Aman, said the deceased were identified as Akash and Kallu, while Kasim was among the injured. Aman said Kallu was his uncle. He also said the workers didn’t even know what kind of chemicals were produced at the factory.
“Six people were working near the company’s chemical tank when suddenly the tank exploded, killing two. I wasn’t on duty at the time. Three people were brought to the emergency room around 9 a.m. today. We had only been working there for a month,” he said.