A truck driver was burnt to death and eleven labourers sustained severe burn injuries after a boiler exploded at a privately-owned sponge iron factory in an industrial park near Burdwan town this afternoon.
The injured workers were immediately taken to the emergency ward of Burdwan Medical College and Hospital. Factory manager Manoj Pasari stated: “We are yet to determine the exact cause of the explosion.”
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Residents of the Palitpur locality, close to Burdwan town, were startled by a loud crashing sound around 2.30 p.m, as the boiler blast shook the area. Molten metal gushed out of the boiler and struck the labourers. Amir Khan (26), a truck driver, suffered fatal burns when he had just entered the factory premises to load ingots.
Arup Dutta, the plant’s security manager, said: “Most of the workers were from Chhattisgarh, Bihar and West Bengal districts like Purulia and Bankura, in addition to some local labourers.”
One of the workers, Moinuddin Mallik, commented: “The boiler had been running continuously for four days. We believe the rising internal heat, combined with high atmospheric temperatures, triggered the explosion.”
At the time of the incident, twenty-one labourers were working near the boiler. The intensity of the blast caused parts of the factory structure to be hurled into the air. Police arrived at the scene shortly after, and a case has been registered.
Arka Banerjee, Additional Superintendent of Police, Burdwan, said: “We have launched an investigation into the incident.”