Massive Fire at Indian Steel Plant Kills Eight Workers

At least eight workers were killed on Monday when a ladle carrying molten steel broke and caused a massive fire at the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) plant, also known as Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, officials said. At least six workers were injured in the incident and taken to nearby hospitals. Multiple fire trucks and dozens of firefighters were pressed to bring the fire under control. Visakhapatnam District Collector M Abhishikth Kishore confirmed that eight people died. “The mishap occurred at 4.15 pm. The injured have been admitted to two private hospitals where they are stable,” he said. Officials said the temperature of the molten steel in the large industrial ladle was around 1,500-1,600 degrees Celsius. The Union Ministry of Steel said a sudden explosion had triggered the accident. “At the time of the incident, casting operations were underway at Caster-2 of Steel Melt Shop-1. Before the slide gate could be opened to pour hot crude steel from the ladle to the tundish for further casting, a sudden and severe explosion took place. A large ball of fire rose to the ceiling of the shop, and Overhead Crane-2 subsequently caught fire,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that it was closely monitoring the situation and extending all necessary support to the affected families and injured workers. Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Dr Shankbratha Bagchi told The Indian Express on Monday evening that rescue operations were underway. “We are still on the job. It will take hours,” he said. Police identified the deceased as G V Apparao,⁠ ⁠⁠Prabhakar,⁠ ⁠⁠Bheem Kumar,⁠ ⁠⁠Krishna Nag, ⁠⁠Gold Kumar,⁠ ⁠⁠Trinadh,⁠ ⁠⁠Appala Raju, and⁠ ⁠⁠Ramana. Five of them were employees of the plant, and three were contract labourers, officials said. RINL has initiated an investigation to ascertain the cause of the incident, the Steel Ministry said. A three-member external enquiry committee, headed by the Director-in-Charge, Bokaro Steel Plant, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), has also been constituted to conduct an independent inquiry. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock and grief at the incident. The CM spoke with the District Collector and Police Commissioner, and directed them to provide help for the families of affected persons. Officials briefed the CM on the ongoing situation and relief operations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sadness at the loss of lives and announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. “Saddened by the mishap at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Praying that the injured recover at the earliest. The local authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected. An ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured will be given Rs 50,000,” the Prime Minister’s Office quoted the PM as saying. Former chief minister and YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed grief over the incident. Demanding a comprehensive inquiry, Jagan called for strict action against those found responsible and stressed that worker safety must remain the highest priority in all industrial establishments. A major accident had taken place at the Vizag Steel Plant in 2012, when 16 workers died following the explosion of a newly commissioned oxygen plant. In December 2020, four workers were injured when molten steel spilt from one of the ladles at the same spot where the accident occurred on Monday. Sources in the steel plant management said an external safety audit is held every year and that internal inspections are conducted every three months by the safety engineering department of the plant.