The number of victims of the massive explosion at the metallurgical plant in Visakhapatnam city has reached 10 people, after The Hindu reported on June 13 the death of the hospitalized worker Gokiwada Suribabu with severe burns.
The tragic incident occurred at the state-owned Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) plant in the late afternoon of June 8. During casting operations at the first steel smelting plant (SMS-1), a huge ladle carrying about 150 tonnes of molten steel came loose or suffered a sudden explosion The Hindu.
The liquid steel was heated to a temperature of between 1500°C and 1600°C The Hindu. The metal poured directly onto nearby workers, causing a devastating fire and engulfing the crane equipment in flames The Hindu, Instagram. Casualties and casualties
Eight workers died immediately on the day of the explosion due to complete charring of their bodies. Two more workers lost their lives later – one on June 10 (K. Paidiraju) and the last on June 13 (Suribabu, who suffered between 95% and 100% burns) DT Next.
Two of the injured have already been discharged from hospitals, while two others remain under medical observation in a stable condition, The Economic Times reported.
According to the Inspector General of Factories, the explosion was caused by a sudden release of trapped gases inside the molten steel, The Hindu reported. This happened just before the lower gate of the ladle was opened. The Hindu.
Following serious public pressure and union protests, the RINL management has suspended 15 employees and transferred 19 others, NDTV reported. Among them are senior managers from human resources departments and steel mills The Hindu.
Unions have raised the alarm over severe staff shortages, overwork of workers and use of substandard raw materials.
They claim that the workforce in the sector has been reduced from 2,000 to just 700. An external three-member expert committee, headed by the director of the Bokaro steel plant, is conducting a full technical investigation The Hindu.