The police have registered a case under IPC 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) against president of the Arabic College Trust and one Mohammed Abrahim in connection with the death of four persons in a biogas plant explosion at Malayappillimugal near here on Wednesday.
Mr. Abrahim, the main engineer of the plant, was among the four killed in the accident. The trust had provided the land required for setting up the biogas plant.
Stating that there were serious lapses in the construction of the biogas plant, T. Vikram, Aluva Superintendent of Police told The Hindu that preliminary investigations found that the plant was set up without the consent of the authorities concerned, including the local panchayat.
Terming the nature of work being carried out at the site dangerous, Mr. Vikram said the owners of the plant had also failed to take necessary safety measures.
Investigating officials found that those involved in the setting up of the plant had filled large quantities of waste even before commissioning the plant. According to the initial findings, the excess pressure from the waste filled in the two tanks set up at the site had triggered the blast.
Police and Fire Force personnel called off rescue operations on Thursday morning based on the inference that only seven persons were at the site when the incident occurred. The condition of three persons, who were injured in the blast, was reported to be stable.
The blast site wore a deserted look on Thursday morning after the shock waves it sent across the place on Wednesday. Only a few policemen and local residents were around.
Health officials were pressed in to service to check the possibility of the gas spreading to nearby areas. R. Santhakumari, Medical Officer, Edathala panchayat, told The Hindu that health inspectors and junior public health nurses from the Edathala primary health centre, the Malayidamthuruthu primary health centre, Choornikara, Karumalloor and Varapuzha were deployed at the site.
Health workers sprayed bleaching powder to check the outbreak of infectious diseases following the gas emanating from the accident site. Ms. Santhakumari said fogging would be done, if flies and mosquitoes were found at the plant site.
