Three killed, over 40 injured in fire at IOC refinery in West Bengal

The fire has been extinguished and the situation is under control, sources said.

Sources said that they had seen a flash which might have started the fire. Authorities have started a probe to ascertain the cause of the incident.

AT LEAST three persons were killed and 44 injured after a massive fire broke out on the premises of an Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) refinery at Haldia in Purba Medinipur district on Tuesday, police said.

The cause of the blaze, which sources termed as a “flash fire” that broke out after a drill, is yet to be ascertained. It was extinguished by a fire team and the situation is now under control, the sources said. The refinery has been under shutdown since the first week of this month as maintenance work is underway at many major units, they added.

“In the motor spirit quality (MSQ) unit, during shutdown-related work, at around 14:50 hours, today an incident occurred. The primary cause seems to be a flash fire leading to burn injuries to 44 persons and 3 persons have unfortunately succumbed to their injuries,” read a statement issued by Haldia Refinery authorities.

The identities of the three deceased were yet to be ascertained, sources said. Preliminary first-aid was administered to the injured, who were later shifted to Haldia Refinery Hospital for treatment. Three of them succumbed at the hospital. With the help of a team of district administration officials, people on the premises were evacuated.

A green corridor was operationalised for shifting the injured to other medical institutes as required, sources said. They added that around 25 of the injured were shifted to Kolkata later in the day and more may be shifted.

Many of the injured have been identified as contract workers, including several migrants from Punjab and Rajasthan. “The fire was exacerbated by the presence of highly flammable substances in the area,” said a local police officer.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the incident. “Deeply anguished by the fire in IOC, Haldia. Three precious lives were lost and my thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. Those injured are being brought to Kolkata through a green corridor. Government of West Bengal will extend all assistance to ensure their speedy recovery,” Banerjee tweeted on Tuesday.

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“A probe should be done to find out whether any negligence has caused this tragedy,” said S K Ajgar Ali, Chairman-In-Council, Haldia Municipality.

Sweety Kumari

Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More

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