Blast at Indian coal-fired power station kills 36 people

India’s National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Unchahar Station, a coal-fired power plant in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is recovering after a boiler tube explosion took place on 1 November in which 36 people were killed and more than 97 were injured.

The company reported in a statement that “there was sudden abnormal sound” and “there was opening ... from which hot flue gases and steam escaped affecting the people working around the area”.

“An enquiry has been set up by NTPC Management to investigate the reasons for the accident.”

The Power Minister met Shri Gurdeep Singh, CMD and senior officials of NTPC at the site and visited the injured persons admitted at District Hospital at Rai Bareilly and Lucknow.

An expert committee is set to examine the possible cause of the incident which led to the failure of the economiser section in the boiler, resulting in the exhaust of flue gases.

Unit 6 (500 MW) of the plant was shut down after the accident; however, the other units of the station are operating normally, the owner said. NTPC Unchahar has a total capacity of 1550 MW, consisting of five units of 210 MW and one unit of 500 MW.

Image credit: PTI.