As per preliminary information, over 24 employees were working at the spot when the accident occurred
BHILAI: A gas pipeline blast at Bhilai Steel Plant in Chhattisgarh has killed six people died and 14 were injured, police said on Tuesday.
The police said that the blast took place around 11 am in a pipeline near coke oven section of the plant. Police personnel and a rescue team rushed to the spot. The injured were rushed to the hospital.
As per preliminary information, over 24 employees were working at the spot when the accident occurred, Inspector General of Police (Durg Range) G P Singh said.
Further details are awaited. The plant is operated by the state-run Steel Authority of India Limited.
“I am deeply moved due to the tragic deaths of six in Bhilai Steel Plant gas pipeline blast. We stand by the bereaved families in this hour of distress and urge the state government to extend all possible help to the injured workers and wish them a speedy recovery, ” said T S Singhdeo, Leader of Opposition, Chhattisgarh.
On June 12, 2014, six workers at the Bhilai Steel Plant died because of an explosion in the blast furnace.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in June dedicated the modernised and expanded Bhilai Steel Plant to the nation.
As per SAIL's website, the Bhilai Steel Plant is India's sole producer and supplier of world class rails for the Indian Railways, including 260 metre long rails, and a major producer of a large variety of wide and heavy steel plates and structural steel.
With an annual production capacity of 3.153 MT of saleable steel, the plant also specialises in other products such as wire rods and merchant products.
In November last year, 43 people died and many were injured in a blast at a National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited plant at Unchahar in Uttar Pradesh.
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