RAIPUR: A powerful boiler explosion at the Vedanta Limited thermal power plant in Chhattisgarh’s Sakti district on Tuesday afternoon left at least 13 workers dead and 21 others severely injured, many with critical burn injuries, in one of the state’s worst industrial accidents in recent years, triggering panic and a massive rescue operation. The blast occurred around 2.30 pm at unit number 1 in the plant located in Singhitarai village near Dabhra police station. Police and administrative officials rushed to the site soon after the explosion, while fire tenders and rescue teams began evacuation and relief operations. Police said the explosion was likely caused by a tube rupture that led to a high-pressure steam leak before triggering a blast in the coal-fired boiler system. District collector Amrit Vikas Topno and Sakti SP Prafull Thakur confirmed multiple fatalities with 34 workers suffering severe burns.Rahul Patel, industrial safety department officer told TOI late night that death toll has risen to 13 workers and 21 are under treatment, including five very critical. Officials said, of the 13 workers who lost their lives in the incident, four were dead on the spot, six died while being shifted to hospital. Three others succumbed to their injuries later. Over 200 km from the state capital, Sakti being a remote district, having no immediate health care for critical cases, the injured were rushed to several medical facilities in neighbouring Kharsia, Raigarh districts.“Rescue operations have now been called off, and all affected workers have been evacuated from the site,” said the SP, who rushed to the spot soon after receiving information and supervised rescue and relief efforts. Sakti police chief Prafull Thakur said that the victims were contract workers mainly belonging to Jharkhand and Bihar and their identities were yet to be released. Officials said that due to the severe burns, it’s becoming difficult to identify the workers. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic inside the plant, with workers fleeing amid intense heat, smoke and confusion. The plant, operated by Vedanta Ltd with an installed capacity of 1,200 MW, had routine operations underway when the incident occurred. Chaos broke out inside the premises, with workers rushing out amid thick smoke and heat. Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai termed the incident “deeply tragic” and ordered a thorough and impartial probe, assuring strict action against those found responsible. He directed officials to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured. The CM announced ₹5 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of deceased and ₹50,000 each for the injured. Later in the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased and an assistance of Rs 50,000 each for those injured.Considering the seriousness of the incident, the chief minister has ordered an inquiry by the Bilaspur divisional commissioner. He made it clear that strict action will be taken against those found responsible for the accident. A magisterial probe has also been ordered. In a statement, Vedanta management said its immediate priority was to provide medical assistance and that it was cooperating with authorities to ascertain the cause of the accident. “It involved personnel from our sub-contractor, NGSL, which operates and maintains the unit. We are in the process of ascertaining the details and thorough investigation has been initiated,” it stated. Officials hinted at the possibility of the death toll rising as several victims are in a critical condition.
