Nagaram (Andhra Pradesh): At least 15 people were burnt alive on Friday morning after a massive fire at a gas pipeline operated by state-owned energy company Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) in Andhra Pradesh.
NDTV has learnt that the fire, which killed mostly local residents, started from a tea shop across the road, 200 feet from the pipeline. Witnesses say gas had leaked from the pipeline through the night, but was ignored.
Chaudhury, the tea vendor, lit a stove at around 5 am and there was a loud explosion. He and his family of six, including two children, never stood a chance. The ball of fire became an inferno that destroyed houses and shops within half a km.
Huge flames, almost 20 feet high, leapt out of the pipeline. It took more than two hours to put out the fire. At least 10 people were severely burnt and are being treated in a local hospital.
The 18-inch diameter pipeline supplies gas to a power plant operated by Lanco Infratech Ltd. It runs through the Nagaram village and lush fields and a coconut grove.
Relatives and other residents held angry protests alleging negligence by GAIL.
They claimed that they had often complained about gas leaks, always anticipating a tragedy like this. The pipeline, they said, was at least 30 years old and rusted but no one bothered to replace it.
Only temporary repair work was ever done, they allege. Residents pointed at a patch of cementing on the pipeline near the spot where it was ripped apart by the explosion.
Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. Significantly, GAIL has been kept out of the probe.
State Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said, "People are angry that GAIL authorities didn't pay heed when they complained the pipes being rusted and gas leaks."
He said that the fire had destroyed 10 acres of the coconut grove.
ONGC, the government-controlled oil company, has shut down its gasfield, just 50 kms away, after the fire.
NDTV has learnt that the fire, which killed mostly local residents, started from a tea shop across the road, 200 feet from the pipeline. Witnesses say gas had leaked from the pipeline through the night, but was ignored.
Chaudhury, the tea vendor, lit a stove at around 5 am and there was a loud explosion. He and his family of six, including two children, never stood a chance. The ball of fire became an inferno that destroyed houses and shops within half a km.
The 18-inch diameter pipeline supplies gas to a power plant operated by Lanco Infratech Ltd. It runs through the Nagaram village and lush fields and a coconut grove.
Advertisement
They claimed that they had often complained about gas leaks, always anticipating a tragedy like this. The pipeline, they said, was at least 30 years old and rusted but no one bothered to replace it.
Advertisement
Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. Significantly, GAIL has been kept out of the probe.
Advertisement
He said that the fire had destroyed 10 acres of the coconut grove.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
ONGC Net Profit Surges 19 Times In Q4, Sets Record High Profit In 2023-24 ONGC To Start Crude Oil Production In KG Basin Next Week Leopard Rescued From ONGC Residential Campus In Assam's Sivasagar Amid Huge Row, Karnataka Pauses Bill For Reservation In Private Sector Firms Travel Influencer Aanvi Kamdar Dies After Falling Off A Waterfall Near Mumbai UP Banker Dies By Suicide After 6 Months Of Bullying, Body-Shaming 3 Indians Among Crew Detained On Singapore Ship Carrying Drugs: Report Ensure Equal Rights For LGBTQ+ Community In Jail: Centre Writes To States Indian Envoy Assures Support To Bring Back Body Of Citizen Killed In Oman Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.