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Massive fire breaks out in naphtha-carrying pipeline at refinery in Bengal's Haldia; 20 injured
The fire broke out early in the morning, and six of the 20 people injured are in a critical state and are being shifted to a hospital in Kolkata.
At least 20 people were injured and several shanties were gutted after a fire broke out in a naphtha pipeline at Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL) in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district early on Tuesday. Police said six of the injured were in critical condition, while the cause of the incident is being investigated.
“At least 20 people were injured. The injured persons were rushed to the sub-divisional hospitals in Haldia and Contai. The condition of six patients were stated to be critical. They were being shifted to Kolkata. There were no reports of any casualties,” said a senior police officer of East Midnapore district.
The fire broke out around 5am, prompting the deployment of around 10 fire tenders to bring the blaze under control. Several shanties located near the pipeline were destroyed in the fire.
“Preliminary information suggests that the incident may have occurred in the vicinity of an unauthorised naphtha theft point located in the plant vicinity. Naphtha is a highly combustible and extremely flammable hydrocarbon, and the company has consistently cautioned local communities against any unauthorized access to or handling of petroleum products due to the serious safety risks involved. The exact cause of the incident is currently under investigation in coordination with the relevant authorities,” HPL said in a statement.
HPL is a naphtha-based petrochemical complex located around 125km from Kolkata. According to initial reports, the fire broke out in a naphtha pipeline following a leakage allegedly caused by theft.
“The injured victims are residents of those shanties. Investigation is going on,” a police officer said.
