20 injured in garment factory after 2 boilers explode, send window glass shards flying

Noida: Twenty employees of a garment factory in Sector 63 were injured after two boilers exploded on Saturday morning, sending sharp shards of window glass into the paths of fleeing workers.

Around 500 workers were inside the three-storey building when the boilers, typically used to press clothes, exploded on the ground floor of the unit, triggering chaos and panic. As workers rushed out, glass pieces stabbed into their flesh, police said. While none were critically injured, most suffered deep lacerations and cuts on faces, hands and backs.

According to cops, the blasts occurred around 10am at Windsor Company. By then, most workers had reported for duty.

Later, they told TOI that the false ceiling and window glass had collapsed as the explosion resonated through the floor. Employees of several adjacent offices had also rushed out after the explosion, some mistaking it for an earthquake.

A major tragedy could be averted as there was no fire after the explosion, police said.

Sector 63 is a designated industrial area, home to nearly 3,000 units and factories, primarily in the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sector. These industries, which include textiles, garments, packaging materials, and electronics, collectively employ around two lakh workers. The sector also houses numerous warehouses and godowns.

Of the injured, eight—Sachin (18), Kuldeep (21), Ravikant (25), Akash (20), Mohit (19), Alam (29), Prakash (52), and Seema (42)—were taken to a private hospital in Sector 71. The others—Pankaj (26), Manoj Paswan (35), Sunita (40), Asha Rani (27), Bhoomi (19), Kalp Singh (19), Pramod (38), Rajneesh (18), Lokesh (19), Satendra (35), Pushpendra (27) and Atul (30)—were admitted to another hospital in Sector 63.

Police told TOI that the two boilers may have exploded due to overuse. However, no complaint was filed till late evening. TOI could not reach the owner for a comment.

Workers said the factory had shut operations for the day after the explosion, and guards, deployed on the campus, turned away workers and family members of the injured.

Narsingh, whose son Shivam works at the office as a helper, said he had no information about his son. "I came to the factory after I heard about the explosion. But the guards kept telling me that everyone was sent home for the day and that the unit was closed. I cannot get in touch with my son. I do not know if he is okay," he said.

Manoj Singh, whose brother Lokesh was injured in the blast, said, "I was on leave today, but Lokesh came to work. He called me up after the blast. So, I went to the hospital and found that he sustained multiple injuries to the head. I returned to the office to ask for a vehicle, but the guard refused to let me in. They denied knowing Lokesh and me."