Gujarat: 10 workers suffer burn injuries at a private oil refinery

The workers were cleaning a clogged pipeline when suddenly hot water gushed out from the other side. Four workers are undergoing treatment in two hospitals in Rajkot and Jamnagar.

Ahmedabad:Ten workers suffered burn injuries after hot water splashed on them from a pipeline in the Nayara oil refinery near Khambhalia in Gujarat's Devbhoomi Dwarka district. The injured were rushed to the hospital for treatment but, two employees are in serious condition.

According to the refinery officials, the incident took place when the pipeline that transmits hot water in the refinery was being cleaned on August 7. The pipeline had got choked and the workers were undertaking maintenance after cleaning it. As soon as the pipeline was cleared, burning asphalt and hot water gushed out from the other side. Workers of the refinery tried to run away but 10 of them got burnt in this accident.

Four of the injured workers were admitted to two hospitals in Rajkot and Jamnagar. The condition of two workers is serious. "The injured workers are currently undergoing treatment here. They came to the hospital with burn injuries caused by hot water from the refinery's pipeline," Dr Dhaval Patel said.

Investigations are underway as to how the accident took place so as to take necessary precautions to ensure that such an incident does not recur, an official of Nayara refinery said. He said that an internal inquiry has been ordered as per the company's norms. "The well-being of our employees is our topmost priority and it is being ensured that they receive the necessary medical care and treatment," the official said.

Nayara refinery is a private oil refinery and the second largest in the country after Reliance Industries in Moti Khavdi village in Jamnagar. The company aims to build one of the largest integrated petrochemical complex of the world and owns India's second-largest single site, state-of-the-art refinery with modern facilities.