West Bengal: Massive fire broke out in the pipeline of Haldia Refinery, 20 people burnt, condition of 6 critical.

Kolkata, 30 June. A massive fire broke out in the naphtha pipeline of Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL) in the early hours of Tuesday in Haldia in East Medinipur district in West Bengal. More than 20 people got burnt in this incident. Police said that the condition of six of the injured is critical. The reasons for the incident are being investigated.

A senior police officer from East Medinipur district said, ‘At least 20 people have been injured. The injured were taken to sub-divisional hospitals in Haldia and Contai. The condition of six patients is said to be critical. He is being sent to Kolkata. There is no news of anyone’s death.

It is said that the fire broke out at around 5 in the morning. About 10 fire tenders were deployed after receiving information about the fire. Many slums built near the pipeline were burnt down in the fire.

“Initial information suggests that the incident may have occurred near an illegal naphtha theft point near the plant,” HPL said in a statement. Naphtha is a highly flammable hydrocarbon and the company has consistently cautioned local residents against unauthorized access to or tampering with petroleum products due to the serious safety risks they pose. The exact cause of the incident is being investigated in collaboration with the concerned authorities.

HPL is a naphtha based petrochemical complex, located about 125 km from Kolkata. According to initial reports, the naphtha pipeline caught fire following an alleged leakage caused by theft. A police officer said, ‘The injured people are residents of the same slums. Investigation is going on.