One dead, another missing after petrol pump fire mishap in Odisha

One person died and another was missing after a blaze erupted at an Indian Oil Corporation petrol pump near Raj Bhavan here, police said on Thursday.

IOCL has announced Rs 8 lakh compensation for the family members of the deceased and Rs 4 lakh each for the ones critically injured in the accident that took place on Wednesday afternoon.

Other injured persons will get Rs 1 lakh each, the oil major said in a statement.

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had on Wednesday directed the ministry's secretary to submit a report after conducting a probe into the incident.

Police said one of the critically injured, Satya Nayak (37) from Ganjam district, succumbed to burn injury while undergoing treatment at the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack.

Hospital Emergency Officer Bhubananda Moharana said another person, identified as Ripu Daman (40) of Lucknow, is undergoing treatment with 40 per cent burn injuries.

Though police had earlier said that nine people were injured in the mishap, it later located another person at a private hospital here.

One man is also missing, a police officer said.

Based on preliminary investigation, the Commissionerate Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, said four people were at work for refilling CNG gas at the IOCL fuel station when the fire broke out.

Police have so far traced three persons engaged in the refilling work, while a man identified as Seemanchal Parida of Ganjam district, is missing.

The flesh and body parts recovered from the site after clearing of the debris will be sent for DNA testing to ascertain the identity, the officer said.

Deputy Chief Comptroller of Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Ruab Ali, said the massive explosion at the petrol pump took place during refilling of CNG in a chamber at the filling station. It had 4.5 tonne CNG gas and 10,000 litres of water when the blaze erupted.

After reloading of hydrogen and nitrogen gas, when the staff were refilling the CNG tank, the explosion happened due to leakage, the PESO said.

The blast injured several people with splinters and most of them were later released from hospitals after being administered first aid, an official said.

It also damaged nearby buildings and vehicles parked in the vicinity, he said.

Criminal cases have been registered in connection with this incident, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissioner of Police, S S Sarangi, said.

The commissionerate, in a statement, said the salvage operation to remove the remaining LPG was completed by 6 am on Thursday.

Meanwhile, DG Fire Service, Odisha, tweeted: "In a late night operation, the team from #IOCL removed the LPG gas from the tanker that was at the site of yesterday's exposition. The area around the Rajbhawan petrol pump is now safe from any potential hazard." 

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