The death toll in Wednesday's explosion in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), also known as Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), rose to 11 with two of the injured passed away on Thursday.
Earlier, it was estimated that as much as 15 people including two Deputy General Manager of constructing wing died in fire explosion. But, authorities have confirmed 11 deaths so far. The victims include officials and permanent and contract workers.
In the latest development, two workers who were critically injured died at a private hospital in Visakhapatnam.
According to the authorities, ten of the victims have so far been identified.
Eight persons are undergoing treatment at hospitals. The injured include VSP General Manager (projects) D S Kalsi.
The accident took place when an oxygen tanker exploded Steel Melting Shop (SMS) II, wing of the public sector undertaking.
The plant employees stayed away from work Thursday as a mark of respect for those who died in the blast and also to lodge their protest over the alleged negligence by the management leading to frequent mishaps.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed shock over the mishap. He would be visiting the hospitals in Visakhapatnam to call on the injured.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary B V Raghavulu demanded high-level probe into the disaster. He sought compensation for the families of the dead and for the injured.
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the steel producing company was set up in 1971.
This is the third fire accident in less than two months and the fourth this year.
Earlier, on May 01, two workers engaged by a private company were burnt alive in a blast in the recently commissioned blast furnace-III.
In another fire mishap on May 22 a conveyor belt carrying raw material to new blast furnace completely melted, stalling the production and causing a property loss of about Rs. one crore. There were no casualties.
The blast furnace III was erected as part of the plan to expand plant capacity to 6.3 million tonnes.
Steel Plant Employees' Union general secretary D. Adinarayana blamed negligence on the part of the management for frequent accidents in the plant.
--With IANS Inputs--
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