Bihar: Major boiler blast in noodle factory kills 5, many injured; rescue ops underway

In a major mishap, five people were killed and six others injured in a boiler blast that took place in a noodle factory located at Muzaffarpur in Bihar, on Sunday, informed District Magistrate Pranav Kumar. While speaking to the media, he further informed that an investigation is currently underway and the reason behind the blast is yet to be ascertained. 

Earlier in the day, Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jayant Kant briefed about the incident and said that around five fire brigades have been deployed for dousing the fire, and rescue operations are currently underway. Also, the death toll is expected to rise as the injured people are being rushed to the hospital. 

Meanwhile, the explosion that took place on Sunday morning was so strong that it was heard 5 km away from the blast site, said the local people. As per the official updates, it occurred at around 10 AM. Apart from that, the severity of the explosion also affected the adjoining factories in the areas that were damaged. It created panic as several people seemed to be trapped inside the factory which is located in Muzaffarpur's Bela Industrial Area: Phase II. 

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar while extending his condolences to the families of the deceased, has announced an ex-gratia Rs 4 lakh to the kin of those killed in the boiler blast incident

Boiler explosion at a chemical factory in Gujarat

In a similar incident that took place at a chemical factory in the Vadodara district of Gujarat, four people were killed while several others were injured in a boiler blast on Friday. The blast which occurred at the Canton Laboratory located in the Makarpura GIDC [Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation] area of Vadodara was severe to an extent that it was felt within the radius of 2 km followed by cracks in several residential buildings. 

Meanwhile, residents and students from nearby buildings and schools rushed out of the premises after the blast presuming an earthquake as the window panes of the building were shattered to pieces. 

Image: ANI