A devastating blast in a private sponge iron factory in the Kota Dabri area of Champa town, Janjgir-Champa district, Chhattisgarh, left 13 workers severely injured, with four of them reported to be in critical condition.
The incident occurred on Saturday when molten material from an old furnace exploded during the second shift, catching the workers off guard. Most of the injured sustained burns ranging from 60 to 70 per cent. Of the 13 affected, four workers are being treated at Narayana Hospital in Raipur, where three are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.
District Superintendent of Police Vivek Shukla confirmed on Sunday that the condition of the critically injured remains precarious and that an investigation is underway. Authorities have called in forensic experts and an industrial safety inspector to examine the site of the blast and determine its exact cause.
According to preliminary findings, the workers were exposed to hot lava during the incident, and there are indications that maintenance work was underway on the old 15-tonne furnace when the explosion occurred.
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Police sources suspect that a technical fault in the furnace may have triggered the blast and suggested that the responsible personnel might have overlooked potential risks. The furnace was being used to melt dolomite stone for the production of sponge iron.
Authorities are now awaiting the industrial safety report to ascertain responsibility and take appropriate legal action. The district police have assured that a thorough probe is ongoing, and any negligence will be dealt with accordingly.
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