Four injured in Jharkhand's Muri after embankment of Hindalco's caustic pond collapses; state govt orders probe

Ranchi: The embankment of a caustic pond of a private company on Tuesday collapsed at Muri, about 55 kilometres from Ranchi, leaving four persons with minor injuries, a state government official said. The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident. “The bund (embankment) of the caustic pond of Hindalco company slid, like a landslide,” the official said. Asked whether there was any casualty following the incident, the official said, “There might be, but there is no information as yet.” On the direction of Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Chief Secretary DK Tiwari has asked Chota Nagpur divisional commissioner Subhra Verma to probe into the incident and submit the report to the government, an official release said. The chief secretary has asked officials to ensure the people nearby do not face any difficulties. A team of NDRF, Ranchi, has been sent to the spot for rescue efforts. NN Roy, joint president and head of Muri Works, Hindalco, said in a statement said, “There was an incident in the red mud (bauxite residue) storage area connected to our plant situated at Muri, Jharkhand today (Tuesday) noon. The incident involved a spillage in the red mud cake storage area. We are ascertaining the reasons for the same, and have stopped operations temporarily to assess the situation. “Preliminary investigation indicates there has been no damage to surrounding environment or to property. Four persons with minor injuries have been treated.”