Sanju Joseph heard a loud sound just before thick fumes engulfed him in a whisker.
A machinist working with the Cochin Shipyard for the last 10 years, Mr. Joseph was on the deck along with his colleague T. Abhilash when an explosion in the ONGC rig that was under repair at the shipyard killed five workers.
He was among the 12 injured in the accident caused by the high-impact blast that occurred near the A/C plant of drill ship Sagar Bhushan, which has been dry-docked at the yard for nearly two months now.
Splinter injuries
A day after the tragic incident, images of the tragedy started to creep into Mr. Joseph’s memory when he was asked to recollect those moments. “It was a loud sound. Before we could sense what had happened, thick fumes from the ballast tank had covered us. We also realised that we had suffered splinter injuries,” he said.
“We were working on the deck and had no idea on where the accident occurred. Three of us were on the deck when we heard the sound,” he said.
A native of Kuruppanthara in Kottayam district, Mr. Joseph said that he had known the victims for long. He was discharged from hospital on Tuesday and later left for his home. On Wednesday morning, he was getting ready to meet Abhilash, who was recovering at the Medical Trust Hospital.
“I am feeling better now,” said Mr. Abhilash, joined by his family members at the hospital. “I suffered minor injury on my right eye after being hit by a splinter. The splinters also hit my hand, causing minor injuries,” he said.
A hospital medical bulletin said the condition of Sreerup, 35, who had sustained 45% burns and inhalational injuries, continued to be critical. The condition of the other injured, including Tiju, 26, Jaison, 41, Abhilash, 31, and Tintu, 28, remained stable.
