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16 die in Vizag steel plant blast

Jun, 14 2012

(India)  --  At least16 people, including general manager Kalsi Naik, were burnt alive following a huge explosion in the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant on Wednesday night.

The fire broke out in the recently commissioned oxygen plant in the steel melting shop II unit. This is the second accident in a span of one month.

Two workers engaged by a private company were burnt alive in a blast in the recently commissioned blast furnace-III on May 1.

Out of the 15 workers seriously injured, eight of them suffered 80-95% burns. At the time of the blast, at least 31 workers, including GM and DGM-rank officials, were on duty.

The blast took place at around 8.45pm when the officials were conducting a trial run of the recently commissioned oxygen plant.

The blast led to a huge fire that raged across the plant and completely gutted the oxygen plant. All the workers and officials present in the oxygen plant were charred to death. The injured were taken to Seven Hills Hospital.

The steel plant management was not available for comment even hours after the accident.

Trade union leaders allege that maintenance work in the plant had been neglected for more than a year.

The machinery in the newly-built SMS wing was erected by a German company, which didn't provide expertise or any proper instructions to the steel plant, union leader Adinarayana alleged. "There is no supervision of safety or quality in the expansion work," he alleged.

By: Rashmi Kalia (ARI-C NEWS)

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