5 killed, many injured in boiler explosion at NTPC unit in Rae Bareli

At least five persons were killed and more than two dozen injured in an explosion at a boiler unit of the NTPC in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli district on Wednesday evening, police said.

The death toll is likely to rise as many more are feared trapped inside the 500 MW unit boiler at the NTPC, Unchahar.

A massive fire broke out inside and a huge ball of dust rose after the explosion, making rescue operations difficult, an official told IANS.

Five bodies were pulled out of the unit.

The unit was the sixth at NTPC and was commissioned on March 31 this year, a senior official said.

An alert has been sounded at the community health centre (CHC), district hospital and at other medical centers, after the accident.

Officials said the explosion took place in the boiler which is filled with water in tubes which are heated. This in turn creates steam which moves the turbines and generates electricity.

--IANS

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