Three workers were killed and as many critically injured after a boiler exploded at Balaji Chemicals Factory in the Bobbili Industrial Centre, 60 km from Vizianagaram, on Friday morning.
The deceased were identified as A. Jagadiswara Rao (30) of Alaganji village in Bobbili mandal, K. Suresh (32) of Golladi village in Badangi mandal and Gopal Naidu (35), all of Vizianagaram district of Bhimavaram village in Badangi mandal of Vizianagaram district.
Three more persons, Venkatesh, Srinivas and Govinda, who suffered grievous injuries, were initially admitted to government hospitals in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam but were later shifted to King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam for better medical care.
Thick smoke engulfed the area, sparking panic among residents living in the vicinity of the factory.
Soon after the blast, hundreds of family members of workers rushed to the factory to find out if their loved ones were safe.
Only 22 of the 55 workers at the plant were on duty when the accident occurred. The deceased and the injured persons were unfortunately in close vicinity of the boiler when it exploded, according to officials,
Inquiry ordered
Vizianagaram District Assistant Fire Officer C. Madhava Naidu and firefighting teams rushed to the spot. Mr. Naidu said that there were no flames and added that the deaths were caused due to the blast of the boiler.
Vizianagaram Collector M. Hari Jawaharlal visited the site of the mishap and inquired about the safety of the injured workers. He assured the families of the injured workers of taking care of their treatment. The Collector ordered an inquiry over the safety norms being followed at Balaji Chemicals Factory and other factories located in the industrial centre.
