VISAKHAPATNAM: A preliminary investigation by the Department of Factories has indicated that the explosion at Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) might have been caused by the sudden release of entrapped gases in molten steel, triggering a powerful blast.
According to the preliminary report prepared by the Joint Chief Inspector of Factories, the accident occurred around 4.15 pm at Continuous Casting Machine-2 in Steel Melting Shop-1 (SMS-1) during casting operations.
The report stated that a full ladle carrying molten steel had been rotated and positioned for casting. However, before the slide gate could be opened to transfer the molten metal, a sudden and severe explosion occurred. The force of the blast was so intense that investigators were initially unable to determine whether the explosion originated from the ladle or the tundish. The report mentioned that a large fireball shot up to the roof of the shop floor, while an overhead crane operating in the area also caught fire.
“A worker stationed at Machine-4 reportedly witnessed flames reaching the ceiling immediately after the explosion. The workers positioned near Machine-2 bore the brunt of the impact,” it noted.
The report identifies the “sudden release of entrapped gases in the liquid steel” as the anticipated cause of the incident. In steelmaking, gases such as oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen can remain trapped within molten metal. If these gases accumulate and are suddenly released under certain conditions, they can create intense pressure, potentially leading to violent eruptions.
Fresh safety concerns emerge as panel probes deadly VSP accident
The report, however, stated that the finding is preliminary and that a detailed technical investigation is required to establish the exact sequence of events Following the incident, factory inspectors visited the site and conducted a preliminary enquiry.
Meanwhile, a three-member high-level committee constituted by the Ministry of Steel has begun its investigation.The committee comprising Priya Ranjan, Director-in-Charge, Bokaro Steel Plant, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL); Jitendra Kumar, Chief General Manager, SAIL; and Gopal Singh, former Chief General Manager, SAIL, arrived in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday to conduct a detailed inquiry into the circumstances that led to the accident at SMS-1, which claimed several lives and injuring others.
Union Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma also reviewed the progress of the inquiry and discussed the sequence of events that culminated in the tragedy.
Even as the investigation gets underway, fresh details emerging from within the plant have raised concerns over safety practices in molten metal handling operations. Employees alleged that a molten metal-related incident occurred at Steel Melting Shop-2 (SMS-2) barely 15 to 20 minutes before the fatal accident at SMS-1. While no injuries were reported in the earlier incident, a vehicle was damaged after molten material spilled during operations. Workers claimed a major accident was narrowly averted before the devastating explosion occurred at SMS-1 later in the afternoon.
Several employees, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed the June 8 accident was not an isolated event but the culmination of long-standing operational and safety concerns.
The latest tragedy has also revived memories of a series of serious industrial accidents at the steel plant over the past decade and a half.
The deadliest among them occurred on June 13, 2012, when an explosion during a trial run at the oxygen plant attached to SMS-2 claimed 19 lives, including senior officials, and left several others injured. Just weeks earlier, on May 1, 2012, two contract workers were killed and two others injured in an explosion at Blast Furnace-3.
In June 2014, two contract engineers lost their lives after a carbon monoxide leak while inspecting a ladle during expansion works at SMS-2.
On December 18, 2020, molten steel spilled after ladle hooks gave way in SMS-2, leaving four workers with severe burn injuries. Another major accident occurred on November 16, 2021, when molten material surged onto an earthmover during slag removal operations at Blast Furnace-3, killing four workers.
In May 2026, a blast furnace gas leak in the thermal power plant area left four workers unconscious, though all survived after receiving timely help.