A steel company in Gujarat’s Surat’s Hazira industrial area caught fire, killing four contractual workers and injuring another. The worker who suffered a minor injury was immediately shifted to Alivemint Hospital on the plant’s premises.
According to reports, Anupam Singh Gehlot, the Surat Commissioner of Police, said the incident happened at ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India’s (AM/NS India’s).
AM/NS India assured that the impacted area was roped off for safety and that all emergency procedures were promptly initiated.
“We have learnt that the fire spread in one section of the plant after burning coal suddenly spilled over. The resultant blaze killed four labourers, who were on a lift at that time in the plant,” Gehlot was quoted as saying, while assuring that the police and the inspector in charge at the factory were probing the incident.
According to a police station official in Hazira, no accidental death report has been submitted so far. It’s reported that three of the four victims’ bodies have been taken to the civil hospital for a post-mortem. A company spokeswoman claimed in a statement that equipment failure caused the incident.
“The accident occurred around 6.00 pm today during the restart of the unit after shutdown. Four contractual workers of a private company performing maintenance on a lift (elevator) nearby were embroiled in the impact and could not survive,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We are extending all support to the families of the affected personnel. All emergency protocols were activated immediately and the area has been cordoned off. We are working closely with relevant authorities on the ground and have initiated an internal investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident.”
This terrible event is another reminder of how crucial strict safety regulations are to industrial operations, especially in high-risk settings like steel mills.
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