A hissing sound that saved them

The hissing sound of air pressure releasing, minutes before the blast at Bharat Petroleum’s hydrocracker unit, alerted people and helped them escape the ball of fire that followed.

Around 40 people were injured, and while some were given first aid, 22 were taken to Sushrut Hospital in Chembur. Five were admitted to the Intensive Coronary Care Unit. Doctors said only two patients had critical injuries and the others were stable. As everyone managed to escape to a distance, none of the patients had burn injuries. They were wounded from flying glass and other objects, and suffered fractures.

“Thank god for that sound. All of us ran as far as possible within seconds,” said Dahisar resident Avadoot Parab, an electrician. Mr. Parab injured his right leg and back.

Staff members said the explosion was so powerful that it threw machines weighing up to one tonne in the air. Vashi Naka resident Sachin Sadaphule, who worked in the plants AC unit, suffered a head injury as a windowpane fell on him. “Because it was lunch time, I had removed my headgear,” he said. Mr. Sadaphule’s cousin Ashok Pawar had a lucky escape as he had gone to a nearby warehouse.

Jainoor Shaikh (21), was at his Chembur home when he heard a loud blast. His heart skipped a beat, as his father, Saut Shaikh, a rigger at BPCL for 20 years, was at work. He got a call from the hospital that his father as hurt, but stable. “A flying object hit him in the face, injuring him,” Jainoor said.

One of the two critical patients, Nandadeep Walve, an instrument technician, has fractures to both hands and his face. “He is unable to talk. A CT scan did not show any internal injury,” said Mr. Walve’s brother-in-law Santosh Kala.

Mr. Walve was with another employee, Philip Kurian, when debris fell on them. Mr. Kurian suffered a shoulder injury. The second critical patient, Sushil Bhosle, also has a head injury and suffered facial fractures.