Overview
- Fire officials said a chlorine cylinder used for water purification leaked during maintenance near the Diwanman crematorium in Vasai West on Tuesday afternoon.
- Authorities confirmed one fatality, identifying the victim as Dev Kantilal Pardiwal, while reports put the number hospitalised between 18 and 19, including several fire brigade personnel.
- Responders contained the leak by continuously spraying water on the cylinder and submerging it in a nearby water-filled pit, a step credited with preventing wider exposure.
- District officials reported the situation under control after evacuations and temporary closure of the site, with patients treated at multiple local hospitals.
- Residents questioned why 10–15-year-old cylinders were left at the site and called for accountability as municipal and district authorities opened a probe.