Death toll in Vizag steel plant blast rises to 15

Visakhapatnam: The death toll in Wednesday's explosion at a steel plant here rose to 15 today with three more employees succumbing to burn injuries.

Assistant General Manager at the plant L Srinivas breathed his last at a hospital in Visakhapatnam, while Chargeman P Narayana Rao and Foreman M B Muralidhara Raju who were shifted to a hospital in Mumbai passed away today, sources said.

Four others, General Manager D S Kalsi and Assistant General Manager M B R S Sarma and an employee of a private company R Bhattacharya were undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mumbai, while Deputy Manager Prabhakara Rao was under treatment at a hospital in Visakhapatnam and their condition was stated to be critical, sources said.

Explosion at the state-owned Rashtriya Ispat Nigam plant occurred at the 'oxygen control unit' on Wednesday night.

Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma has ordered a high-level enquiry into the mishap.

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