COONOOR:Coonoor: Eight workers were injured in an explosion that occurred at the Cordite Factory Aruvankadu (CFA) in the Nilgiris district around 11.50 am on Monday.
Four of them were employees on the rolls of the factory and rest were all contract workers.
Of the eight injured, the condition of Matur Yadhav (38), Raj Rahim (24) and Chandrika Prasad (45) is said to be critical. All of them have been admitted to private hospitals in neighbouring Coimbatore district.
Two of the injured, Jayaram Singh (36) and B Devaraj (47) have been admitted to the Military Hospital, Wellington in the district.
Manoj Suttar (20), Kamlesh Yadhav (37) and Gnan Anjaneya (27) were being treated at the Cordite Factory Hospital, Aruvankadu, itself.
“Doctors have accompanied these workers while they were being moved to the hospital and are closely monitoring their condition to ensure that the injured workers are given all necessary medical support,” N N Narendran, Deputy General Manager, told Express.
The explosion occurred when the workers were involved in maintenance duty at the workshop.
“The maintenance has been going on since May 2 and has been nearing completion. Production has also been suspended at the factory to facilitate maintenance works. We are examining the cause of the explosion. It is suspected that some residual particles amidst the welding portions could have triggered the blast. However, an internal enquiry is under way to find the exact cause of the explosion,” Narendran said.
All the injured were given immediate medical attention. The building has been cordoned off. Necessary reports have been furnished to different levels of Government. The factory is working as usual, he noted.
Following the blast, panic gripped workers and shopkeepers located near the factory till the injured were moved to hospitals.
As mild tension prevailed in the region following the explosion, traffic was diverted through the NH connecting Coonoor and Ooty for some time and to help ambulances move the injured workers fast.
The CFA is a unit of Indian Ordnance Factory Board in the Ministry of Defence.