Three workers killed in oxygen cylinder blast at cement factory

Three men who had come to a cement factory for repair work were killed after the oxygen cylinder brought by them exploded due to an unknown reason on Tuesday afternoon in Chhattisgarh’s Baloda Bazar district. A case of accidental deaths has been taken and a probe is on to find out if anyone is negligent, the police said.

The incident took place around 3.10 pm in the Ultra tech cement factory in Hirmi village. “There was some pipeline related repair work in the factory. A private company was hired to do the repair work. The three deceased were hired by this private company. The three men, a welder and two helpers, had gone there with the oxygen cylinder to do the work,” said a police official.

“Some time after they reached the factory, the cylinder exploded leading to their deaths. We are investigating what led to the blast,” added the police official. The impact was such that one of the workers was thrown 20 feet away from the spot. The deceased are Lakesh Kumar Gayakwad (21), Shatruhan Lal Verma (27) and Umesh Kumar Verma (26).