MAYILADUTHURAI: Two migrant workers were killed on the spot while three others sustained injuries in a boiler explosion at a fish meal plant near Sirkazhi on Sunday.
According to sources, the explosion at Bismi Fisheries Private Limited at Thoduvai village in Sirkazhi block occurred around 12.10 pm when the deceased, identified as D Arun Oraon (25) and B Baljit Oraon (20), were handling the boiler.
Besides the two workers from Jharkhand, operators K Ragupathi (53) and Maridas (45), and worker Javed (20) of Thirumullaivasal sustained injuries in the blast.
All the three were rushed to the Sirkazhi Government General Hospital, from where Ragupathi was referred to JIPMER in Puducherry, and Maridas and Javed to the medical college in Chidambaram. Several others at the firm escaped with minor injuries.
The firm was into production of feed for prawns and poultry after fish oil extraction. Mentioning the firm as functioning with 83 workers, Sirkazhi Tahsildar V Shanmugam told The New Indian Express, "Among them, there are 37 migrant workers, including 20 from Jharkhand and 17 from Odisha. The migrant workers had been staying near the firm. The deceased were working with the firm for the past couple of years."
Following the blast, operations at the firm have been suspended. Officials directed it not to clear the debris until the completion of investigation. Sirkazhi DSP TAJ Lamech said, "We have registered a case in Sirkazhi Police Station under IPC Sections 337 (negligence endangering human lives) and 304A (causing death by negligence). We have deployed police detail to avoid people from getting near the blast site."
District Collector R Lalitha, who inspected the plant around 3.30 pm, said, "The cause for the explosion is so far unknown. We are awaiting an inspection report from the Indian Boiler Regulations (IBR) team to find out the cause and to know if the other boilers in the firm are safe. If there is any fault on the part of the firm’s management, we will initiate strict action."
While the explosion led to tensions in the vicinity, officials maintained that the hatchery, which is a few hundred metres from the shore, is far away from residential areas.