Over 20 people, including fire fighters, were injured on July 29 in a blast while dousing fire caused by an oil leak, at a factory in Kerala’s Palakkad district. The incident happened around 5 pm in a plant which converts poultry waste into biodiesel, located at Thodukadu in the Kottopadam gram panchayat of Palakkad district, near Mannarkkad. According to Fire and Rescue officials in the district, the injured included fire and rescue personnels, members of civil defence team and locals. Three among the injured, including two firefighters, have been grievously injured and have been shifted to Kozhikode Medical College for treatment, a Fire and Rescue official told TNM.
"The plant, owned by an NRI, was conducting a trial run today (July 29) but a fire broke out due to an oil leak. They sought help from the fire department. As the fire fighters were trying to douse the fire, the temperature of the oil tank increased and resulted in a blast," a police official told PTI. Police said the oil tank contained a liquid similar to furnace oil and exploded due to high temperature. "Over 20 people have been injured. Many have incurred injuries in their hands as they tried to cover their faces during the blast," said a Fire and Rescue official. According to the official, the plant is located on an isolated hilltop.
Meanwhile, recounting the incident, a witness told the media that many suffered injuries while trying to run away from the spot. “While the fire was being doused by workers and local people, the fire force also joined, but the fire spread to other areas. There were two barrels of oil tanks nearby. They blasted and the oil fell all around. Many got burned like that, while many tried to escape from there, jumping from the spot, but still resulted in getting injured,” a witness told the media. “It is a very big plant, located in an isolated area. Matters like whether it had authorisation etc, have to be probed,” the official added.
(With PTI inputs)
Watch the witness's statement: