Death toll from boiler explosion at NLC rises to 13; one critical

The death toll in the boiler blast at Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) India Ltd, Tamil Nadu's Chennai, on Wednesday has climbed to 13. Initially, six people died and 17 suffered burns in the blast. The explosion occurred at the Thermal Power Station-II when workers were in the process of resuming operations which includes maintenance work following a shutdown.

New Delhi: The death toll from a boiler explosion at Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) India has increased to 13, a company official said on Wednesday. Seven people are under treatment and three persons have been discharged.

The mishap occurred on July 1 at the fifth unit of the thermal power station-II when workers were in the process of resuming operations which includes maintenance work following a shutdown. Six people died on the spot while 17 others were injured due to the explosion.

"Of the seven still under treatment, the condition of one is critical, three are recovering and the condition of three is stable," the official added.

A compensation of not less than Rs 30 lakh each has been announced for the deceased, he said. Regular employment will also be provided to an eligible member of the family of the deceased, he said.

An NLC India Director, Power, has been asked to immediately proceed on leave till the finalisation of the enquiry into the explosion of the boiler at the thermal power plant.

Two executives, a deputy general manager and additional deputy general manager, of the company, have been suspended subsequently, the official said.

"Subsequent to a boiler explosion in Unit V of thermal power station-II (TPS) of NLCIL on July 1, which resulted in a loss of lives, a high-level enquiry headed by P K Mohapatra, retired Director (Technical), NTPC has been ordered to look into the cause of the accident," the statement had said. An internal enquiry committee headed by a director-level officer has also been constituted to inquire into it.

The unit head of TPS-II has been placed under suspension and all the other four units of 210 MW each of thermal power station-II Stage -II have been shut down for safety audit. The incident was the second within two months at the NLC's same plant.

On May 7, a boiler explosion at the sixth unit of the Thermal Power Station-II (TPS-II) injured eight men and in about 20 days, five of them, who had sustained severe burns and admitted at a hospital in Tiruchirappalli, died.