The death toll of the blast at the Vedanta Ltd power plant in Singhanterai village of Chhattisgarh has risen to 14.
Authorities said that the explosion took place at around 2 pm on Tuesday. About 20 people were also injured in the explosion.
"Police and district administration teams are at the spot,” Sakti Superintendent of Police Prafull Thakur said. The injured were shifted to hospitals in Sakti and Raigarh.
Police said that the boiler in the plant generates a heat of around 600 degrees Celsius, and when the blast occurred, the intense heat spread across a large area within the campus.
Sources have also indicated that many workers at the plant are still missing.
They also said that the families had a hard time identifying the deceased due to the severe injuries and burns.
The administration may have to use DNA testing to confirm the identities of some of the victims.
According to preliminary findings, the blast occurred due to a technical fault in the steel joint of a water supply pipe connected to a steam pipe in the Boiler Unit 1 of the plant.
Eyewitnesses report that the blast was so powerful it felt like a missile had struck.
Ajit Daskar, who works as a painter at the plant, told Prabhat Khabar that the had finished lunch after 2:30 pm when they suddenly heard the explosion. He survived by hiding inside a cupboard.
He also said that the worker below suffered severe injuries.
The district administration has orderd a magistrateial inquiry and the company has also initiated an investigation. The district probe is expected to submit a report within 30 days and determine whether the accident was caused by technical or human error and assess the safety in the plant.
The State Assembly has also formed an investigation committee comprised of 9 members to investigate the accident and submit a report. Former minister Jaisingh Agrawal has been appointed as the convener of the committee. The committee will also be meeting the families of the victims and local residents. They will also be speaking to plant management and gathering information.
Former Deputy Chief Minister TS Singhdev said the causes of the accident should be investigated seriously and that the victim’s fsmilies should be compensated
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the accident and announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 to the injured.