Aether Industries Fire : Seven workers dead, eight critical 

Surat : A massive fire that erupted at the Aether Industries Limited chemical plant in Sachin GIDC, Surat on early Wednesday morning has left seven workers dead and more than eight in critical condition.

The fire, which broke out around 1:30 am on Wednesday, quickly engulfed the plant, trapping workers inside. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours, but it was too late to save the seven victims who were near the chemical storage tank.

The deceased have been identified as Divyeshkumar Patel, Santosh Vishwakarma, Sanat Kumar Mishra, Dharmendra Kumar, Ganesh Prashad, Sunil Kumar, and Abhishek Singh. These workers were in the missing list when the blast occurred in the Aether Industries.

The event occurred around 1.30 a.m. on Wednesday, according to Rajesh Parmar, deputy commissioner of police (DCP).   It’s been more than 30 hours since the fire was put out. Seven people were missing after an internal search. Seven burnt corpses were discovered. All of these human skeletons have been sent to the New Civil Hospital (NCH) for post-mortem examination. The search was carried out in the presence of police, FSL, an industrial safety officer, and an inquiry officer.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is believed to have originated in a storage tank containing flammable chemicals. The fire has raised serious concerns about the safety standards at Aether Industries.

In addition to the loss of life, the fire has caused extensive damage to the plant. Meanwhile, the shares of the BSE-listed Aether Industries Limited tumbled about 10% in two days as the fire in its Surat plant has left seven workers dead.

The tragedy has also sparked outrage among the families of the victims. They have accused Aether Industries of negligence and called for a thorough investigation into the fire.

The family members of the missing workers thronged the company premises in Sachin GIDC since Wednesday morning, but they were not given any information about the missing workers. It was late at night, the rescue teams fished out the charred bodies of the workers from beneath the debris at the blast site.

The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has also come under fire for its handling of the situation. The GPCB has been criticized for its slow response to the fire and for failing to take adequate action to prevent future accidents. The GPCB is yet to issue a closure notice to Aether Industries even after such a big incident. This has raised concerns about the company’s safety standards and the GPCB’s enforcement of safety regulations.

Jignasa Ojha, regional officer of GPCB and her team of officers were still investigating the cause of fire on the second day of the incident. “We are yet to ascertain the exact cause of fire in the chemical storage tank of Aether Industries. We will be taking action once the report is prepared. The company has up-to-date safety protocols, which lessen the impact of the major fire.” said Ojha.

The company’s owner, Ashwin Desai, has reportedly gone underground, refusing to address the public or the authorities. This lack of transparency has further fueled suspicions and heightened tensions.

Kamal Tulsiyan, a board member of Aether Industries said, “It was an unfortunate incident and we are in deep sorrow. Out of those who were injured, 18 are currently undergoing treatment. We are treating the injured. We will also give them specific compensation. We will also pay compensation to the families of those who have died.”