2 min readSuratUpdated: Feb 6, 2026 08:53 PM IST
At least four persons were hospitalised following a gas leak at a factory near Vapi in Valsad on Friday, Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) officials said.
The incident was reported from Sinex Metchem Pharma Company, in Sarigam town, an Industrial Notified Area, they said. A fire brigade team, GPCB officials and police reached the spot and took the injured to a private hospital in Valsad.
Police identified the injured as company owner Vinod Patel (52), Dinesh Verma (22), Prince Kumar (21) and Punit Kumar (22), all workers at the factory and residents of Sarigam in Umargam taluka of Valsad district. Vinod Patel was shifted to Surat’s Kiran Hospital later on Friday.
Sources in the GPCB said the incident occurred in the afternoon, when a chemical process was underway in a reactor. The company owner, Vinod Patel, was present near the reactor, supervising the process. The chemical in the reactor overflowed and spread through the room, affecting the owner and three labourers, causing “tear gas-like effects and breathing problems”, the sources said.
All the people on the premises immediately moved out of the area. The gas in the atmosphere also affected some passersby, who complained of teary eyes.
The GPCB’s Sarigam Regional Officer Bhadresh Patel said, “After learning about the incident, our teams reached the spot. The fire department team sprinkled water on the concentrated chemical substance to mitigate its effect. The factory’s doors and windows were immediately shut in an attempt to prevent the gas from mixing with the air. We are looking into the cause of the incident.”
He added, “The factory has been functioning for the past six years, and we checked the documents and found those okay. At present, it is not known what chemical compound they were manufacturing and the owner’s statement is yet to be recorded. The condition of the three labourers is stable and they have been discharged from hospital after primary treatment.”
