India
-Krishna Kripa
A
significant
explosion
occurred
at
the
Indian
Oil
Corporation’s
refinery
on
the
Agra-Delhi
National
Highway,
injuring
around
12
people,
according
to
police
reports.
This
incident
follows
a
similar
explosion
at
an
Indian
Oil
refinery
in
Vadodara,
Gujarat,
where
two
individuals
lost
their
lives.
Witnesses
described
hearing
a
loud
blast
and
seeing
flames
rising
from
the
Mathura
refinery,
visible
from
several
kilometres
away.
image
Renu
Pathak,
Senior
Corporate
Manager
of
Mathura
Refinery,
confirmed
that
approximately
12
individuals
were
injured
in
the
explosion.
The
refinery
management
has
initiated
an
investigation
to
determine
the
cause
of
the
incident.
The
explosion
happened
in
the
Atmospheric
Vacuum
Unit
(AVU)
of
the
main
plant,
which
was
being
restarted
after
a
maintenance
shutdown
lasting
one
and
a
half
months.
Explosion
Details
and
Immediate
Response
Inspector
Sonu
Kumar
from
the
refinery
police
station
stated
that
the
explosion
occurred
between
8:30
pm
and
9:00
pm,
affecting
several
workers
near
the
main
plant.
Initially,
the
refinery
attempted
to
control
the
fire
internally
before
informing
local
authorities
once
they
had
contained
it.
Traffic
on
the
highway
in
front
of
the
refinery
was
temporarily
halted
for
safety
reasons.
Among
those
injured,
eight
workers
suffered
burn
injuries.
Five
received
immediate
treatment
at
the
refinery’s
medical
facility.
Three
others,
with
more
severe
injuries,
were
transferred
to
Delhi’s
Apollo
Hospital
for
advanced
care.
Pathak
noted
that
one
employee
sustained
50%
burn
injuries,
while
two
others
had
20%
burns.
The
remaining
five
workers
are
being
treated
for
minor
injuries
at
the
refinery’s
hospital.
Authorities’
Actions
and
Safety
Measures
The
situation
is
now
under
control,
with
the
fire
fully
extinguished.
Chief
Minister
Yogi
Adityanath
has
instructed
officials
to
ensure
quality
medical
care
for
those
injured
and
to
oversee
relief
efforts
at
the
plant.
The
condition
of
all
affected
workers
is
reported
as
stable,
with
those
critically
injured
being
closely
monitored.
On
Monday,
a
separate
incident
occurred
when
a
benzene
storage
tank
exploded
at
an
Indian
Oil
refinery
in
Vadodara’s
Koyali
area,
resulting
in
two
fatalities.
An
IOCL
official
also
sustained
injuries
during
this
fire.
The
recent
incidents
have
raised
concerns
about
safety
protocols
at
refineries.
Authorities
are
expected
to
review
procedures
to
prevent
such
occurrences
in
the
future.
The
investigations
will
likely
focus
on
identifying
any
lapses
or
technical
failures
that
may
have
contributed
to
these
explosions.
