A high-level inquiry will be conducted to ascertain the cause of a gas leak at SAIL’s flagship Bhilai plant which claimed the lives of six people on Thursday.
Amongst the casualties were two Deputy General Managers. The leak also impacted 30 people who fell ill.
According to SAIL, 21 of the 30 people admitted in the hospital have been discharged, while the remaining 9 are still in the hospital but out of danger.
“As per preliminary information, the main header of Pump House No. 2 which supplies water to the Gas Cleaning Plants (GCP) of Blast Furnaces suddenly ruptured,” SAIL had said in a statement. “This resulted in sudden loss in water pressure to the GCPs and the blast furnace gas from the scrubbers entered the water pipeline affecting the people attending the breakdown in the pump house and in the nearby area,” the statement added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, and assured him of all assistance for rescue and relief operations at the plant.
Modi also spoke to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and directed that the Union Government should co-ordinate with the State Government’s relief operations at the plant and to ensure that all possible assistance is offered to those affected.