GAIL pipeline blast toll rises to 16

The condition of six of the 20 injured persons continues to be critical

June 28, 2014 01:31 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 11:04 am IST - Hyderabad

The toll in the GAIL pipeline fire tragedy in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh rose to 16 with the death of a girl on Saturday, while six persons were battling for life with severe burns, police said.

Fifteen persons were killed and more than 20 others injured when an apparently leaking gas pipeline of GAIL caught fire and triggered a blast at Nagaram village in the coastal district, about 560 km from Hyderabad, on Friday.

“A baby girl, who was undergoing treatment for severe burns, died today at a private hospital in Kakinada. With this the toll in the incident rose to 16,” East Godavari District Superintendent of Police G. Vijay Kumar told PTI over phone.

The SP said 20 others who suffered burn injuries were undergoing treatment at different hospitals. The condition of at least six of them remains critical as they have suffered around 80 per cent burns.

The leaping flames from the pipeline passing through the village in Mamidikuduru mandal quickly swept through nearby houses and coconut plantations, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

Leaking gas had enveloped some areas of the village and the tragedy occurred when a tea shop vendor lit up a stove, setting off a blast, police had earlier said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.