At least six workers were killed and several others injured after a large quantity of molten metal spilled at the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) steel plant in Visakhapatnam of Andhra Pradesh, on Monday.
According to information shared with Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav by Visakhapatnam district health officials, six deaths had been reported at the steel plant's general hospital as of 6.30 pm.
An official release said the bodies of four of the six deceased workers had reached the hospital by that time.
"A total of six casualties reported to the steel plant's general hospital," the press release said.
Earlier, an official involved in the rescue effort had said that five bodies had been recovered, indicating that the death toll could rise, according to news agency PTI.
"We are undertaking rescue operations. So far, five bodies have been recovered," the official told PTI.
According to a local trade union leader quoted by the Hindustan Times, the incident occurred around 4.30 pm in the Continuous Casting Department (CCD) under the Steel Melting Shop (SMS) section of the plant.
"A ladle carrying molten steel suddenly malfunctioned, causing a large quantity of liquid metal to spill. The intense heat and resulting fire trapped workers in the vicinity, leading to multiple casualties," the trade union leader said, reported HT.
However, an official release from the office of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu only stated that multiple workers had been killed in the industrial accident, without specifying the number of casualties.
Naidu expressed deep anguish over the incident and directed all departments to work in coordination to provide assistance.
According to the police, the accident occurred when molten iron spilled while being transported in a bucket attached to a crane.
Police said the molten iron involved in the incident was at an extremely high temperature of around 1,600 degrees Celsius.
