Two workers died and 39 injured in a major fire accident at the State-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (HPCL) refinery-cum-petrochemical complex at Malkapuram here Friday.
Over 45 workers were said to be working when the fire broke out. Officials fear the toll could rise further as five workers are still missing. The injured were rushed to INHS Kalyani Naval Hospital at Malkapuram and the Seven Hills Hospital. The incident occurred at a wooden cooling tower in the D Block at the far end of the refinery.
Sources said one of the Salt Water Cooling Towers was being commissioned and the opening of a water line resulted in the explosion of a 60 ft cooling tower at 4.45 p.m. However, the exact reason for the explosion is yet to be established.Within minutes of the explosion, chaos prevailed as the tower was engulfed in flames and thick smoke billowing over the refinery was seen from even a distance of 3 km. About eight fire tenders and over 10 ambulances were pressed into service. The smoke made it difficult for relief teams to go in for some time. The fire was, however, brought under control within two hours, officials claimed.
The blast initially created panic in the area and as it became clear that there was an accident at the refinery, people gathered in large numbers at the HPCL gates and staged a protest demanding safety. Relatives of the workers too rushed to find out details about their loved ones. The police cordoned off the area and did not allow vehicles within a radius of 4 km from the mishap site. A majority of the victims are said to be natives of Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. HPCL supervisor Murali, who was at the site, is missing. All that rescue teams found was his helmet.
In a release, a HPCL spokesperson said clearing of debris was in progress and search was on to find missing workers. One unit has been shut down due to cooling water shortage but all other units are functioning normally, he added.
Senior officials, including incharge collector Pravin Kumar, HPCL executive director VVR Narasimham and others rushed to the spot. Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry D Purandeswari urged Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily to provide help to the injured and compensation to the bereaved families. The mishap is the second of its kind since over 60 workers were killed in a major fire accident in the refinery in September 1997.