At least seven people were killed and 11 injured when the boiler at a food processing factory exploded in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district on Sunday morning, officials said.
The incident occurred at a noodles factory in Bela industrial area of Muzaffarpur, said Jayant Kant, senior superintendent of police. “It appears that the accident occurred due to a blast in the boiler,” Kant said. “The victims have been identified as labourers who worked as daily wage earners. Some of them may well be regular ones. A list is being prepared.”
Two other factories in vicinity were also damaged, he said.
Three of the seven people who died have been identified. They were Prakash Rai of West Champaran, and Vinod Rai and Sandeep Kumar, residents of Mushari in Muzaffarpur district, said Gyan Prakash, subdivisional magistrate of Muzaffarpur East.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar expressed sorrow over the tragedy and announced a compensation of ₹4 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. He ordered a probe into the blast.
Local people rushed to the spot after the explosion and rushed some of the victims to the Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital with help from the district administration. Later, a team from the state disaster response force recovered three bodies. The bodies were mutilated beyond recognition, according to Guneshwar Mandal, police inspector at the hospital.
“Seven others who sustained injuries in the explosion are undergoing treatment for minor to moderate injuries,” said hospital superintendent Dr Babu Saheb Jha. “Their condition is stable and they are out of danger.”
Action will be taken against those found responsible for the explosion, said Pravan Kumar, district magistrate of Muzaffarpur. “We will look into the causes behind the accident after the rescue operation and investigate the matter from all possible angles, including human error or mechanical among others,” the DM said.
People living near the factory said there was a deafening explosion at around 10 am. “We rushed to the spot, only to find what would otherwise have been a part of the noodle factory was reduced to mangled and crumbled remains. There was complete chaos and commotion,” said Shashi Rajan Rai, a local resident.
The factory, established about four years ago in Bela Phase II industrial area, made noodles and confectionaries. The unit was operational for long hours, said Shashi Rajan Rai, who lives in the neighbourhood.
One of the injured told reporters that the explosion occurred suddenly in the morning. “Before anything could be understood, the machine started falling apart,” said Pankaj, who is undergoing treatment at the hospital. “A few of my friends got trapped under it. There was shouting and confusion on the premises.”
