Rourkela : At least 9 people fell ill and eight of them were hospitalised after gas leakage at the state-owned SAIL's Rourkela Steel Plant in Sundargarh on Monday. The incident happened at the blast furnace 5 of the steel plant. The 9 persons, who fell ill, were immediately sent to the Ispat General Hospital (IGH). Among them are an executive, a senior supervisor, another RSP employee and some outsourced staff.
Gas leak occurred in the blast furnace of Rourkela Steel Plant at 10.15 am today. Among the 9 workers who fell ill are 3 regular and 6 temporary workers. Deputy Director and Assistant Director of Factories and Boilers immediately went to the spot. The 9 injured persons were immediately taken to the first aid center of the steel plant.
One of the nine ill persons was discharged after giving oxygen. Eight other people have been admitted to Rourkela Steel General Hospital. Of them, 7 workers were in ICU.
Deputy Director of Factories and Boilers Bibhu Prasad said that another worker's health has improved. Labour and State Insurance Minister Ganesharam Singh Khuntia termed the incident as a rare and unfortunate incident. Strict action will be taken against the culprits if there is any mistake or negligence in this incident, he said.
A committee has been formed to investigate the incident. The incident happened when work was underway for a gas pipe connection, another official said.
