Rourkela: Three workers were critically injured following an explosion at an induction furnace in a ferro alloys plant at Kalunga industrial area here on Friday.
The incident occurred around 4:30 pm when workers were conducting civil work near the furnace. Hot particles from the exploding furnace struck the workers, causing severe burn injuries. The victims, identified as Raju Ganju, Manoj Betwari and Zakir Ansari, were immediately rushed to Ispat General Hospital. Hospital sources said Raju’s condition was extremely critical.
The explosion triggered protests outside the factory premises, with workers and locals demonstrating against the management. Personnel from Brahmani Tarang police station were deployed to control the situation.
Swaraj Kumar Tripathy, assistant director of factories and boilers, Zone-II, Rourkela, who visited the hospital, told reporters, “A chaotic situation prevented our initial inspection of the plant. We are currently assessing the condition of the victims and will conduct a detailed investigation of the incident.”
Factory authorities were not available for comment.