Death toll in NTPC boiler blast rises to 35; Yogi Adityanath visits Lucknow to meet victims

Lucknow: Hours after he returned from his three-day trip to Mauritius, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday visited the hospitals where the injured in the boiler blast at the NTPC unit in Rae Bareli have been admitted, even as the toll rose to 35 with two more injured succumbing. Visiting the injured at the King George’s Medical University, the Civil Hospital and the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Adityanath enquired from the doctors about the condition of the severely injured labourers and directed doctors to ensure that they got the best treatment. [caption id=“attachment_4191099” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Injured being taken to a district hospital after the explosion at the NTPC plant. PTI[/caption] The chief minister also asked officials accompanying him to ensure that the ex-gratia to the families of the dead and financial assistance for the injured reaches them promptly and without any hassle. “We are with the families of the victims in this hour of grief and will do everything to help them” he added. The condition of 18 injured continues to be “very critical”, a doctor at a medical facility told IANS. “With severe burn injuries, the fear of infection setting in has increased but we are trying our best to ensure that they recover,” the doctor added. So far 21 patients, in two shifts, have been flown by air ambulances to New Delhi for higher and specialised treatment. The death toll has risen to 35, with the death of two more persons. The condition of five patients in the SGPGI is improving, director Ravi Kapoor informed. These persons had suffered 20-25 percent burns in the incident. No FIR has been lodged so far in the matter but two probes, one magisterial and one by the NTPC management are underway.