5 Dead, 17 Injured In Boiler Blast In Cuddalore

CUDDALORE: In a very tragic incident, at least five people were killed while 17 others injured in a boiler blast at a thermal power plant in Tamil Nadu. The mishap took place at a power plant of the central government-owned NLC India Limited, formerly known as Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu.

An official at the power plant said, "The boiler was not in operation. We are investigating the incident." Rescue teams rushed to the spot to assess the situation. The blast took place at the fifth unit of the thermal power station-II (210 MW x 7) in Neyveli when workers were in the process of resuming operations on Wednesday morning.

According to a PTI report, "Two men died on the spot. Some workers are feared trapped and 16 others have sustained injuries." This is the second blast at the power plant since May. A boiler had exploded at the same plant on May 7th leaving eight workers with severe burn injuries. The company produces 3,940-megawatt of electricity. The plant where the blast took place has a generation capacity of 1,470 megawatts. A total of 27,000 people work on the plant premises, including 15,000 contractual employees.