Bijnor: A day after seven people died and three sustained critical injuries after a methane tank exploded at a factory in Bijnor’s Nagina town, a team led by sub-divisional magistrate, Bijnor, sealed the chemical factory on Thursday.A methane tank, with a capacity of over 20,000 litres, had exploded in the factory on Wednesday morning when labourers were carrying out welding work to seal a leak that had sprung in the tank at the unit that makes alcohol from molasses.An FIR under section 304 of the IPC was also filed against the owner of Mohit Petro Chemical factory. The injured were rushed to the district hospital. The factory owner also gave a compensation of Rs 12 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.Brajesh Singh, sub-divisional magistrate, said, “For safety reasons, the factory has been sealed and all the work at the factory has been stalled. If the factory continues to function, it will harm labourers as well as the environment as the biogas tank has been ruined in the blast. An investigation is on and action will be taken as soon as the inquiry report in the matter reaches us.”Earlier on Wednesday, family members of the labourers and residents of nearby villages had rushed to the factory on learming about the blast. They had alleged that the management of the unit played with the lives of innocent labourers. The said the factory authorities knew that methane was inflammable but took no precaution for the safety of the labourers.

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