As many as eight workers suffered severe burns after a boiler burst in a scrap tyre burning unit at Kadechur-Badiyal Industrial Area at Kadechur in Yadgir district on Tuesday.
All the injured have been shifted to Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Raichur. The condition of four of them is stated to be critical as they have suffered more than 60 % burns.
Severn of the workers were identified as Hussainsab, Arif, Sufiyan, Sameer, Imran, Imran Shabbir and Ravi Kumar, all aged between 20 and 40 and from Kadechur village.
Sources said that the scrap tyre burning unit is yet to become operational. On Tuesday, the workers were conducting a test run. When it was under test, the cap of the boiler, in which scrap tyres were burning, could not be opened. Thus, the workers employed gas welding methods to open the cap of the boiler. But, after a few seconds it came under heat, the cap suddenly opened and oil splashed on the workers. As a result, they suffered severe burns all over their bodies.
“Immediately after the incident, the workers were all shifted to RIMS where preliminary treatment was given. But, doctors advised that they be shifted to Hyderabad for further treatment as the condition of four of the injured became critical,” Mohammad Pasha, a relative of an injured worker, told The Hindu over phone.
The unit was originally owned by Bharat of Yadgir district and it was leased to a Hyderabad-based industrialist who owns a similar unit there. It was meant to supply oil to cement factories by burning scrapped tyres.
“The incident happened due to negligence of the owner of the unit who has taken it on lease and planned to operationalise it. Therefore, action should be taken against him,” Siddanagowda, a local resident, has said.
“We have asked him to pay initially all hospital expenditure to be incurred and later, give suitable compensation for the injured workers,” he added.
Saidapur Police visited the unit.
