Chhattisgarh Vedanta power plant blast: Death toll rises to 24

Raipur: The death toll in a blast at the Vedanta power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district has gone up to 24 with one more worker succumbing to injuries on Sunday, officials said.

Eleven other persons were undergoing treatment in different hospitals. Two of them were reported to be in critical condition, they said.

A worker, identified as Manish Kumar, a native of Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh, died during treatment at Raigarh medical college in the wee hours, a government official told PTI.

With this, the death toll has gone up to 24 in the incident that occurred on April 14.

The explosion occurred in a steel tube carrying high-pressure steam from the boiler to the turbine at the Vedanta Ltd power plant located in Singhitarai village, leaving several workers with severe burn injuries.

According to officials, four workers died on the spot, while nine others succumbed to injuries soon after the incident. Seven more injured workers succumbed to injuries in hospitals on April 15, while another worker died on April 16 at a hospital in Raipur. Two more workers died in hospitals on Saturday.

The deceased include seven labourers from West Bengal, five from Chhattisgarh, four from Jharkhand, four from Uttar Pradesh, and two each from Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

Of the 11 injured, six are admitted to Jindal Hospital, Raigarh, and two each at Balaji Metro Hospital and Apex Hospital, Raigarh. Another worker is undergoing treatment at Shri Shankara Hospital, Raipur, an official said.

Of them, two are critical, he said.

Police have registered an FIR under sections related to causing death by negligence and negligent conduct with machinery.

"Eight to ten individuals, including Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal and plant head Devendra Patel, have been named in the FIR. If more persons are found responsible during the investigation, their names will be added," Sakti Superintendent of Police Prafull Thakur had said.

A preliminary technical investigation into the blast found that excessive fuel accumulation inside the boiler furnace led to a pressure build-up, triggering the explosion, police officials earlier said.

A report by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Sakti also confirmed that the accumulation of fuel and the resulting excessive pressure were the primary causes of the explosion, they said.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai had directed the Bilaspur divisional commissioner to conduct a probe into the incident.

The Sakti district administration has also ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

The Opposition Congress has demanded that stricter charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder be invoked in the case.