The death toll in the June 8 accident at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant rose to 10 with another worker succumbing to his injuries.
G Suribabu, a contract worker, breathed his last on Saturday, June 13, at MGM Seven Hills Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile, RINL management has reportedly placed 22 employees under suspension pending investigation. The suspended personnel include employees from the Steel Melt Shop, Material Management and Quality Assurance departments.
The accident occurred on June 8 when a ladle carrying molten steel exploded at the Steel Melting Shop (SMS)-1 unit of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. The molten steel leaked after the explosion of the ladle, carrying steel at a very high temperature of about 1,500 degrees Celsius.
Eight workers died in the incident, and six others were injured. Before Suribabu, another worker, Kandula Paidiraju, succumbed to injuries on June 10.
Two injured workers have since been discharged from hospital, while two others continue to undergo treatment and are reported to be stable.
After visiting the accident site on June 9, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan had announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to the family of every worker who lost their lives in the accident, along with a job in the plant to one of the family members. He also announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the workers who are seriously injured and receiving treatment in the ICU.
Pawan Kalyan also revealed that Rs 1.72 crore will be provided to the permanent employees under retirement benefits, and Rs 45.75 lakh to contract employees, and that the plant management will fully bear all expenses for the treatment of the injured.
A three-member external expert committee headed by the Director-in-Charge of Bokaro Steel Plant is conducting an inquiry into the accident to ascertain its cause.
Employees have alleged that staff shortages, a compromise in the quality of raw materials, and immense pressure to increase output may have all contributed to the disaster.
