Major accidents at HPCL Plant in Visakhapatnam

In the wake of a massive fire mishap that took place at the HPCL refinery, here's a glimpse into the major accidents that have taken place in the past in Visakhapatnam.

Hyderabad (Telangana): A huge fire broke out at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) refinery in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. The Visakhapatnam HPCL consists of three units with the fire accident taking place in the third one, which contains highly combustible materials.

Here's a glimpse into the major accidents that have taken place in the past at the HPCL refinery in the City of Destiny.

22.09.1997: Explosions in six LPG tanks in Hindustan Petroleum’s Visakhapatnam refinery were so devastating that 70 people were killed and dark clouds engulfed the city. The fire was put out after two days of efforts by scores of fire engines and heavy equipment brought from other refineries in the city. It was later found out that a gas leak a few months earlier in a pipeline hadn’t been repaired properly, which led to the accident.

23.08.2013: 28 people lost their lives after the HPCL cooling tower blast and fire. Of the 28, one was an HPCL employee and the rest were contract workers.