Aligarh: Three persons were killed and at least 12 others seriously injured in a boiler explosion this morning at Harduagunj Thermal Power station at Qasimpur, about 15 km from here. “Workers were working in the power station when the boiler burst all of a sudden,” Additional District Magistrate, Avdesh Tiwari told PTI.
“The cause leading to the accident is being ascertained and the power station premises have been cordoned off as a precautionary measure,” he said. Seven of the injured have been admitted at the Nehru Medical hospital, AMU and the rest are being treated at other hospitals. Senior District officials have rushed to the spot and additional police force has been posted around the area. A huge crowd collected outside the power house following the incident and police had to be deployed to control the crowd.
According to preliminary reports, the explosion took place when a gas cylinder which was close to the boiler “caught fire and exploded”. A magisterial probe has been instituted into the blast at the Harduagunj Thermal Power Station. A technical enquiry has also been ordered to trace the real cause behind the explosion, District Magistrate Balkar Singh told PTI. District Magistrate said that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 10 lakh each to the family of the three workers who died in the explosion. The injured will be given Rs 50,000 for treatment, he added.
