Blast at JSPL's Raigarh plant kills two workers, two others injured

Two workers were killed while two others were injured in a fuel tank explosion that took place at the Raigarh facility of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) in Chhattisgarh.

The accident took place on Wednesday when four contractual workers were cutting the diesel tank of an abandoned bus parked in JSPL's scrap yard in Patralapali village, Raigarh Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh said. The tank exploded, injuring the four who were rushed to the Jindal Fortis hospital.

Based on the preliminary probe, police suspected that there was some diesel or gas in the tank and might have come in contact with the flame of the gas cutter, leading to the explosion. Of the injured, two suffered 90 per cent burns.

“Kanhaiyalal (59) and Jairam Khalko (35) died in the hospital today,” Singh said. The other two are out of danger and undergoing treatment, he said. An offence had been registered in connection with the incident and investigation was underway, he added.

The Industrial Health and Safety Department had issued a notice to the JSPL management seeking its reply in connection with the incident.

In a statement, JSPL management termed the incident as unfortunate. “During this sad and painful time, JSPL stands by the aggrieved families,” it said, adding that all the financial dues were being taken care of by the company.

JSPL follows the highest standards of industrial safety across all its plant locations. The exact cause of the accident is being investigated, the statement added.