Twenty-one of the injured are at the municipal Shardaben Hospital. The burns ward was hurriedly cleared to make space for them. The other two are in a private hospital. Doctors said they were all ``out of danger''.

The blast at Balco Enterprises -- a weaving-machine spares maker in the Krishna Industrial Estate, Odhav -- happened about 3:30 p.m. The factory owners' father, Laljibhai Parmar, whose arms and chest were burnt in the blast, said that a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder kept leaking gas even after the knob was shut off.

However, the fire brigade said that sparks generated while the spare parts were being made resulted in the explosion. They said the fire was not big, but injuries were caused mainly due to the blast.

The doctor attending on theinjured said all the workers had burn injuries as the explosion was massive. Till 5 pm., Odhav police was not aware of the incident as local factory owners, who had gathered at the site had informed fire brigade and municipal authorities first at around 3:40 p.m.

Odhav police station inspector SU Pandey reached the spot around 6 p.m. and registered a case. One of the injured, who could hardly speak, said the impact of the explosion was such that ``I lost consciousness immediately after the blast and could only recall the cries of other fellow workers after the blast. I woke up only in the hospital,'' he fumbled

Almost all the patients were in deep shock and could hardly spell out anything about the incident.