NTPC blast: Narendra Modi announces Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for families of victims

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the people who lost their lives in the NTPC boiler blast in Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. Rs 50,000 was announced for each person injured in the state-run National Thermal Power Corp plant blast on Wednesday. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister’s Office in a tweet.

Prime Minister @narendramodi has approved an ex- gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the accident at the NTPC plant in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh. PM has approved Rs. 50,000 each for those injured due to the accident.

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 2, 2017

The death toll in the blast rose to 22 on Thursday, with two more succumbing to their burn injuries. [caption id=“attachment_4145789” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] NTPC logo. Getty Images[/caption] The state government has ordered a magisterial probe, while the NTPC has also launched a probe into the incident which it said took place due to “excess ash deposition” in the furnace. Rae Bareli District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri told IANS that the number of injured stood at 64. The massive explosion took place in a 500 MW boiler unit in Unchahar town on the Lucknow-Allahabad highway. Many were trapped when the fire erupted in the boiler and a huge ball of dust rose after the blast, making the rescue operations difficult. Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Click here to get LIVE updates on the NTPC blast