THE death toll in the chemical factory blast in Dombivli of Thane district rose to ten on Saturday with the rescuers recovering one more body while clearing the debris at the spot, an official said. “The rescue and relief team found the charred body of a man while removing the debris. The deceased could not be identified,” Kalyan tehsildar Sachin Shejal told PTI. A boiler blast and the resultant fire in Amudan Chemicals, located in Phase 2 of Dombivli MIDC, on Thursday killed nine persons and injured more than 60.

 

The impact of the blast was so severe that it shattered window panes of houses and damaged cars, roads and electric poles in the vicinity, officials had said. Earlier on Saturday, a court in Thane district remanded in police custody till May 29 the chemical factory owner Malay Mehta (38). The accused, Malay Mehta (38), owner of Amudan Chemicals, was produced before the magistrate court in Kalyan, a spokesperson of the Thane city police said. The police sought Mehta’s custody for 14 days and informed the court that they had to visit the factory site and find out if more persons were involved in the crime, he said.

 

The extent of damage because of the explosion was enormous, and the police wanted to examine the role of many in the incident, the official said. Mehta’s lawyer argued that the company had all the requisite permissions and followed all regulations. There was also an intervener in the matter who supported the police plea for custody and interrogations. After hearing all the counsels, the magistrate remanded the accused in police custody till May 29, the official said. The police have registered an FIR against the company owners, directors, management staff and officials supervising the factory.