An explosion at a coal-fired power plant in India has killed as many as 18 people and injured about 100, according to news reports. The blast, which occurred November 1 at the Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station, was apparently caused when a boiler pipe burst in a 500-MW generating unit that came online in March of this year.
Police confirmed the total number of dead and said they expect the death toll and number of injured may rise because other people were trapped in the plant, which has been shut down. The plant employs 870 workers.
NTPC, the plant’s operator and India’s largest power utility, said in a statement: “There was sudden abnormal sound at 20 mt. elevation and there was an opening … from which hot flue gases and steam escaped affecting the people working around the area.” The NTPC statement also said “an unfortunate accident in the boiler of 500MW under trial unit of NTPC – Unchahar occurred this afternoon. Rescue operations are underway in close coordination with the district administration. Injured persons are being shifted to the nearby hospitals.” The company said senior executives were headed to the site to help coordinate rescue efforts.
@ETVUPLIVE #NTPCexplosion. Tragic Accident in Unchahar. सभी के स्वस्थ होने की कामना करते है। pic.twitter.com/u78BzCWJ0U
— Insaan Pareshan (@InsaanPareshan) November 1, 2017
NTPC said the 1,550-MW plant, which is named for Feroze Gandhi, husband of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, began commercial operation in 1988, with five units generating 210 MW each.
Authorities said several of the injured sustained severe burns. A large fire broke out after the explosion, hindering rescue efforts.
Local officials said a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was despatched to the explosion site from Lucknow for relief and rescue operations.
—Darrell Proctor is a POWER associate editor (@DarrellProctor1, @POWERmagazine)
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