About 12 injured in explosion in Mathura refinery

Mathura (UP): About 12 people were injured in a massive explosion that broke out in Indian Oil Corporation's refinery on the Agra-Delhi National Highway here on Tuesday, police said.

This comes a day after a blast in an Indian Oil refinery in Vadodara, Gujarat in which two people were killed.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud explosion followed by flames shooting up from the Mathura refinery. Flames were visible from several kilometres away, they said.

In a statement, Renu Pathak, Senior Corporate Manager of Mathura Refinery, said about 12 people were injured in the incident. The management of the refinery has ordered a probe to determine the cause of the explosion, she said.

A fire broke out after an explosion in the Atmospheric Vacuum Unit (AVU) of the main plant, which was being restarted after a month-and-a-half shutdown for maintenance work, she said.

Among the injured, eight workers sustained burn injuries, five of whom received immediate treatment at the refinery’s medical facility.

Three of the more seriously injured workers were transferred to Delhi’s Apollo Hospital, a multi-speciality facility equipped for advanced care, the statement said.

According to Pathak, one employee suffered 50 per cent burn injuries, while two others sustained 20 per cent burn injuries. The remaining five workers, with relatively minor injuries, are currently receiving treatment at the refinery's hospital.

She said that the situation is now under control, and the fire is fully extinguished.

Refinery police station Inspector Sonu Kumar said that the explosion was heard between 8.30 pm and 9.00 pm, injuring several workers near the main plant, he said.

The refinery initially attempted to control the fire internally and once they managed to contain the blaze, they informed the local authorities, Kumar said.

The condition of all affected workers is currently reported as stable, with those in critical condition being monitored closely, he said.

For safety reasons, traffic on the highway in front of the refinery was temporarily halted by the police.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to ensure quality treatment is given to the injured and asked them to oversee the relief work at the plant.

On Monday, a blast in a benzene storage tank of an Indian Oil refinery in the Koyali area on Vadodara's outskirts, killed two persons. An IOCL official received injuries in the fire.

Inputs from PTI