An explosion at a noodle factory boiler at Phase-2, Bela industrial area in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, on Sunday morning killed seven persons and injured more than 12 workers. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue operation is underway.
“The rescue operation is still ongoing and the death toll has risen to seven. We will investigate the matter,” Muzaffarpur SSP, Jayant Kant, told The Daily Guardian.
The incident happened at 10 am on Sunday when residents heard a loud explosion. Several visuals that went viral showed people rushing to the spot. At least five fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
The identities of those who were killed in the accident are yet to be ascertained. The number of labourers working at the factory at the time of the accident is still uncertain. Some people also claimed that the blast had damaged the adjacent establishments. The terraces of the adjacent factories have also been damaged. Many people were expected to be trapped inside the factory.
SSP Kant, along with other police officers, launched a rescue operation for the victims. As of now, the factory has been closed and the exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.
State Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Ram Surat Rai said: “The incident is extremely unfortunate. A total of seven people have died while the other seven are injured. A high-level inquiry will be done into the incident. In my opinion, the factory rules were violated as it was operating on Sunday even though factories are closed on that day. The reason behind this will be found out in the inquiry and strict action will be taken against the ones found guilty.”
The minister added that the government had given the certificate for the operation of the boiler in May this year. Rai also said that free treatment will be provided to the injured.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased in the boiler blast accident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident. He tweeted, “The accident in a factory in Muzaffarpur, Bihar is very sad. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Also, I wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
The Prime Minister has approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives in the accident. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each. “The Prime Minister has approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the accident at a factory in Muzaffarpur. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.