Guj: Fire in methanol tank near Kandla Port still raging

A fire that broke out in a large methanol storage tank near Kandla Port in Gujarat's Kutch district on Monday afternoon is still raging, officials said on Tuesday.

People from surrounding areas have been shifted and other chemical tanks in the vicinity have been emptied as a precautionary measure, they said.

Four people, including an employee of IMC Group and three labourers, were killed after the private company's storage tank containing 1,700 tonnes of methanol caught fire following an explosion at 1.30 pm on Monday.

"Even after 24 hours, the fire in the tank is still raging because of methanol. Fire officials are doing their best to contain the blaze," said an official of the fire station at Kandla Port, managed by the Deendayal Port Trust.

"Other chemical tanks in the area have been emptied to prevent the fire from spreading further," he said.

At least 10 fire tenders of the Deendayal Port Trust and Gandhidham municipality were engaged in dousing the flames since Monday.

"Fire has not yet been contained. Besides the four bodies found yesterday, there has been no other casualty," Deputy Superintendent of Police Dhananjaysinh Vaghela said.

"As a precautionary measure, authorities have emptied the adjoining chemical tanks. Police have also shifted people from the surrounding areas so that fire staff can work out their plan to douse the flames," he said.

As per a complaint registered with Kandla Marine Police Station, the fire broke out in tank no. 303 at the IMC storage terminal.

The mishap took place when an employee of IMC and three labourers were conducting a routine inspection of the storage tank.

When they were on the tank, the roof suddenly blew away with a blast due to the fire, the police said.