NTPC Blast: Many labourers still missing

Even four days after the deadly blast at the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) plant in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli district, that claimed 33 lives, many labourers are still missing.

The kin of the missing labourers continued to run from pillar to post to trace their near and dear ones, according to reports.

On Friday, fathers of two labourers, identified as Ram Babu and Indradeo, who had been missing since the blast on Wednesday afternoon, reached the NTPC plant to ascertain their whereabouts.

They were sent to the district hospital at Raebareli by the officials and from there to the police station at Unchahar but they failed to trace their sons.

The duo, both of whom hailed from UP's Sonebhadra district, said that the list of the dead and injured did not have the names of their sons.

District officials said that they had a list of 30 dead and 49 injured. ''We have no information about any missing labourers,'' said a senior official in Raebareli.

Many labourers and their kin had, a couple of days back, created a ruckus outside the gates of the plant alleging that many of their colleagues were missing since the blast.

They had also alleged that the NTPC officials were not allowing them to enter the plant nor were providing any information about the ''missing'' workers.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who visited the plant on Thursday, was also told by the labourers that many of their colleagues were missing.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday met the injured admitted to different hospitals here and inquired about their health. He also directed the police to register an FIR in connection with the incident.

Adityanath, who arrived here on Thursday after a four-day visit to Mauritius, also assured all help to the injured.