Four killed in reactor blast at Cuddalore SIPCOT

In a significant industrial mishap, 4 individuals, three males and one girl, have been killed and 10 others injured in a reactor vessel blast at a pesticides manufacturing business in Kudikadu at the SIPCOT industrial property in Cuddalore on Thursday. Sources mentioned the blast befell at one of many reactor vessels in Crimsun Organics at round 7.45 a.m.

The deceased have been recognized as Rajkumar, 42, Ganapathy, 25 and Savitha, 35. The id of the fourth sufferer is but to be ascertained. The injured have been shifted to the Cuddalore Government General Hospital.

About 15 staff who have been working in the unit have been trapped inside. On info, fireplace tenders have been pressed into service and rescue work was initiated by Fire and Rescue Services personnel.

Panic gripped the folks of surrounding villages who got here out of their homes following a deafening sound and thick smoke emanating from the unit.

“The industry manufactured chemicals, which are known to be toxic and have both environmental and health hazards. The incident occurred due to a neglect of safety norms,” mentioned T. Arul Selvam of the SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitors (SACEM), an environmental watchdog.

A senior official of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) mentioned that an enquiry had been ordered and they might be capable to confirm the precise reason behind the blast after correct investigation.

According to Shweta Narayan, an environmentalist, “Cuddalore SIPCOT is an industrial disaster in waiting. On a daily basis, for the last 15 years villagers have recorded the slow-motion disasters that occurring in the place. The villagers have been pointing this out but unfortunately, this has fallen on deaf ears of the government and the regulatory agencies. There have been gas leaks, effluent discharges that poison the water and today’s accident does not come as a surprise,” she mentioned.