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Indian Steel Plants Reel From Blasts and Fires as Jharkhand Death Toll Rises to Three

Preliminary findings link the Jharkhand blast to a hot‑metal and water reaction.

Overview

  • At Jharkhand Ispat in Hesla, the induction‑furnace blast that hit before dawn Monday has now claimed three of the nine injured workers, with hospital officials in Ranchi calling several cases critical.
  • State authorities sealed the Hesla plant, opened a safety audit, and formed a seven‑member Labour Department probe team as investigators collected samples from the site.
  • Officials said early evidence points to molten metal contacting water inside the furnace, a known trigger for violent reactions, though the inquiry will confirm whether a leak or a process lapse caused it.
  • Following Tuesday’s turbine‑area fire at Bhilai Steel Plant’s STG‑4 unit in Chhattisgarh, at least seven workers were hospitalized after plant brigades contained heavy smoke and flames, and a cause investigation began.
  • In Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, four labourers were badly burned at Jai Alloys in Kala Amb after a furnace blast sent molten iron onto the shop floor, and police registered a case based on a worker’s complaint alleging faulty equipment and poor safety.