A boiler blast at Sasa Musa sugar mill in Bihar's Gopalganj claimed at least five lives, while several others were left injured. The tragedy is a brutal reminder of boiler blast at NTPC plant in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, where 46 people were killed.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 Lakh each for next of kin of those who have lost their lives in the explosion.
According to reports, the incident in Bihar took place late Wednesday night and several people were injured and being taken to the hospital. The reason behind the boiler blast is yet to be ascertained, even though police have arrested the owner of the sugar mill.
The impact of the explosion was reportedly so powerful that three persons who were working in the vicinity of the boiler were ripped apart. There were around 100 workers working in the sugar factory at the time of the blast.
The boiler blasts have become a common occurrence in the recent past, primarily due to lack of adherence to safety norms by operating companies.
The investigation report on the NTPC blast found that “violation of safety norms” and the “tearing hurry” shown in commissioning a power unit were key reasons behind the explosion. The report also said migrant labourers with no formal training and safety gears were forced to carry out critical operations of the project.
On November 5, at least 15 labourers were injured, seven of them seriously, when a fire broke out at a mill following an explosion in an oil tank on Hisar-Tohan road in Haryana. The explosion in the oil tank took place following a leakage in the boiler, police had said.
