One worker was killed and 10 others sustained injuries, one of them critically, following a blast in a furnace at Anjaneya Alloys Limited in the A.P. Special Economic Zone at Atchutapuram, about 50 km from here, in the early hours of Sunday.
A company officialsaid the exact reason for the blast would be ascertained after a detailed probe.
An eyewitness said water leakage in the pipeline might have triggered the explosion when gases accumulated at the time of making silicon manganese at a temperature of 1600 degree Celsius.
Inspector of Factories R. Trinadha Rao, who visited the site, told The Hindu that they collected samples to ascertain what had triggered the blast.
The victim was identified as B. Biswas (40) from West Bengal. The condition of K. Arun Kumar (25) of Bhogapuram, who sustained over 90 per cent burns, was critical.
While three persons were discharged after being administered first aid, nine others were admitted to a corporate hospital.
Ministers Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and Ganta Srinivasa Rao separately called on the injured.
Mr. Rao said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had taken a serious note of the accident and said those found guilty of negligence would be punished.
Anjaneya Alloys Limited has four submerged electrical furnace arcs each with a capacity of 18 MVA. The company is a subsidiary of Maithan Alloys Limited.
Meanwhile, CPI (M) State secretariat member Ch. Narsinga Rao and district secretary K. Loknadham blamed negligence by the management for the accident.
He said according to the SEZ Act, formation of unions was prohibited thereby allowing the management not to form a safety committee.
