Gas explosion at Tata Steel's Jamshedpur plant injures 11

Jamshedpur: Eleven Tata Steel employees and contract workers were injured Thursday following an explosion inside its factory here.

“Eleven persons were injured after explosion in the LD gas holder at our facility. Two of the injured are serious,” a Tata Steel spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the area of the explosion has been sanitised and other factory operations are running as per schedule.

Following the explosion, a fire broke out in the adjoining gas pipeline. Six fire tenders were rushed to douse the flames, said inspector of factories, A K Mishra. The injured were admitted to Tata Main Hospital, he said.

The roof of the gas holder was badly damaged, Mishra said, adding the pipeline has been isolated.

The rubber material of the gas holder was melting in the fire and the priority was to control the fire, he said.

Meanwhile, one of the seriously injured employees was shifted to the critical care unit of the hospital, company sources said.

Both the fire and the gas emission were under control and there were no reports of any casualty.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police (City), Karthik S said the injuries were caused by splinters and not due to the explosion or gas emission.

Employees in the vicinity of the accident site were taken out safely.

Meanwhile, Tata Steel in a statement said: “There has been an explosion in one of the gas holders inside the Steel Plant at around 3.30 pm today.”

The fire has been extinguished and the gas leakage has been arrested, it said, adding: “All vital installations have been isolated and are safe. There is no danger of any gas leakage from the Steel Plant.”

PTI