Chennai, May 13 (UNI) Four people were killed and more
than ten others sustained injuries in a reactor vessel blast
at a pesticide manufacturing unit at Kudukadu in SIPCOT
Industrial estate in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu on
Thursday.
Police sources said the deceased were three men and a
woman.
The blast took place at one of the reactor vessels in Crimsun
Organics at around 0800 hrs.
Reports said that more than 15 morning shift workers were
working in the unit when the reactor vessel exploded with
a deafening sound, trapping them inside.
Acting on information, Fire service and rescue personnel
rushed to the spot retrieved the bodies, rescued those
trapped in the unit and shifted them to the Cuddalore
Government hospital.
Fire fighting units from Cuddalore and nearby areas rushed
to the spot and put out the fire.
As a thick smoke emanated from the unit after the vessel
exploded with a deafening sound, panic stricken people from
nearby villages rushed to the spot.
Alleging that lack of safety norms resulted in the blast,
environmental watchdog SIPCOT Area Community
Environmental Monitors (SACEM) claimed that toxic
chemicals were being manufactured in the industry
causing environmental and health hazards.
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has
ordered a probe into the blast.
UNI GV 1229