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HPCL refinery fire: toll rises to eight including PSU employee

Last Updated 24 August 2013, 16:47 IST

The death toll in yesterday's fire at state-run refinery-cum-petrochemical complex of Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) here mounted to eight, including an employee of the PSU, Union Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily said tonight.

Out of the 39 contract workers injured in the mishap, seven have received burns above 70 per cent and 17 others burns above 40 per cent.

"In all eight persons, including seven workers of a private company and an HPCL employee, were killed in the mishap and 39 received burn injuries," Moily told reporters after visiting the site to assess the situation.

A massive blaze had broken out last evening at the sprawling complex when workers hired by private companies were at work. While two workers died yesterday, as many succumbed to burn injures at a corporate hospital in the port city early this morning. A thick layer of smoke engulfed the area causing panic among residents.

The deceased HPCL employee is identified as Ch Murali, in-charge of the cooling tower.
Moily said HPCL would provide a compensation of Rs 1 crore to family members of Murali, besides free medical care for them and free education for his children.

To a query, the minister said the contract companies concerned will pay compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family members of each deceased whereas HPCL will provide free education to their children besides medical facilities.

On the cause of the accident, Moily said "Executive Director of the Oil Industry Safety Directorate Hirak Datta from Mumbai will inquire into the incident. He will submit the report within fifteen days and based on the report, the government will take necessary action".
"If any lapse or the violation of safety norms are detected on the part of contractors, the government will not hesitate to file criminal cases against them", he said.

Asked whether 102 workers were at the site when the mishap occurred, Moily replied "I will not go by rumours. As of this evening, the death toll stood at eight and the number of injured at 39. No one is trapped under the debris...Every one is accounted".

Moily said shifting of those workers who have sustained above 70 per cent burns could not be possible considering their condition.

"It is very unfortunate and unlikely incident. We have lost precious lives. It is a great loss to the family members of the deceased," the minister said.

Moily was accompanied by the union minister of state for Commerce and Industry D Purendeswari and Rajya Sabha MP T Subbarami Reddy.

Earlier, Executive Director of the HPCL refinery, V V R Narsimham said prima facie a gas leak in the sea cooling water system caused the blaze.

He said three private companies were working on the wooden cooling tower which was completely gutted, and pegged the loss at Rs 15 crore.

As a precautionary measure, two production units have been closed and output at the refinery has been reduced to 60 per cent.

The refinery has a current capacity of 8.5 million metric tones per annum (mmtpa).
Union minister of state for Petroleum Panabaka Lakshmi and the state's Tribal Welfare Minister P Balaraju visited the accident site and also hospitals, where the injured were admitted earlier in the day.

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(Published 24 August 2013, 13:43 IST)

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