NEW DELHI: (Bernama-Xinhua) The death toll in a boiler blast at a power plant in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh has risen to 17, police said on Wednesday (April 15), reported Xinhua.
The blast took place on Tuesday at the Vedanta power plant in Singhitarai village of Sakti district, about 228 kilometres northeast of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh.
"Still, 19 people are undergoing treatment at different hospitals," said Prafull Thakur, a senior police official in Sakti.
According to Thakur, the power plant's safety team is carrying out searches in the area, and police have sought help from the State Disaster Response Force.
Police believe a tube in the boiler in Unit 1 exploded, spewing "superheated steam" on the workers present there and triggering a massive fire in the power plant.
The local government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the deadly blast.
Vedanta Limited Chhattisgarh Thermal Power Plant has also initiated a separate inquiry to ascertain the causes of the explosion. - Bernama-Xinhua
