The number of casualties due to the leakage of poisonous gas in SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant is unlikely to go beyond six as all the people who were injured are now safe and out of danger, the company said today.
"Out of the persons who were brought to the hospital, 21 persons have been released after first aid and necessary treatment. Nine persons are still admitted in the hospital for observation and medical treatment. Condition of these nine persons is stable and they are out of danger," SAIL said in a statement.
A company official said that since all the injured people are safe and out of danger the number of casualties is not expected to go up beyond the yesterday's tally of six.
Last evening, due to leakage of poisonous carbon monoxide gas from the blast furnace, 36 employees of the BSP got affected, of which six died. The injured were taken to Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Bhilai.
In a statement late last night, SAIL had said, "As per preliminary information, the main header of pump house No.2 which supplies water to the Gas Cleaning Plants (GCP) of Blast Furnaces suddenly ruptured at around 18:10 hrs.
"This resulted in sudden loss in water pressure to the GCPs and the Blast Furnace gas from the scrubbers entered the water pipeline affecting the people attending the breakdown in the pump house and in the nearby area".
Steel Minister Narendra Singh Tomar is slated to visit Bhilai during the day. He has already ordered a high-level probe to ascertain the cause of the accident.
