Gwalior, Feb 5 (IANS) A devastating explosion rocked a railway spring manufacturing factory located near Sithouli railway station in Gwalior district on Thursday evening, leaving five workers injured, two of them critically.
The incident occurred around 6:30–7:00 pm on Thursday when a fire suddenly erupted in an LPG pipeline inside the factory premises under the Jhansi road police personnel.
The fire quickly triggered a powerful blast that shook the entire unit and caused widespread panic among the workers. The injured workers have been identified as Kaushal Shrivastava, Yogesh, Shabbir, Hemant Choube, and Amar Singh. All five were immediately shifted to nearby hospitals. They are currently undergoing treatment at ITM Hospital, Gwalior, police officials said.
ITM doctors said that all the injured workers were brought to the hospital in an emergency condition. Two of the injured have sustained serious injuries and are under close observation and intensive treatment.
Preliminary information suggests that the accident was caused by negligence in handling the LPG pipeline system. However, the exact cause of the fire and subsequent explosion is yet to be conclusively established.
Senior factory officials have also remained silent on the possible reason behind the incident till the time of filing this report. Shakti Singh Yadav, Station House Officer of Jhansi Road police station, under whose jurisdiction the factory falls, confirmed that a police team reached the spot shortly after the explosion and conducted an on-site inspection. The police have registered a case and started a detailed investigation.
Technical experts and forensic teams will also examine the site. A thorough probe will be conducted to determine the exact cause, the police officials said.
Local administration has directed the factory management to extend full cooperation to the investigating agencies and to ensure proper medical care and financial assistance to the injured workers and their families.
Industrial safety experts have pointed out that factories handling LPG and other hazardous gases must strictly follow safety protocols, maintain pipelines through regular maintenance of pipelines, and provide mandatory safety training for workers.
Further investigation is underway, and more details are expected in the coming days.
–IANS
sktr/dan
