Fire Accident at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant as Molten Steel Spills from Furnace

A major industrial accident was narrowly avoided at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant on Sunday when approximately 300 truckloads of molten steel spilled onto the ground. The incident occurred in Blast Furnace-2 of the plant.

According to reports, the molten steel was being transferred from the furnace into a Turbo Ladle Car (TLC) in preparation for transportation to the Steel Melting Shop (SMS). However, during the process, a sudden rupture developed in the TLC, causing the molten steel to spill onto the ground.

As a result of the spill, fires broke out, damaging electrical cables and impacting the track infrastructure. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported. Emergency teams, including plant officials and firefighting personnel, responded promptly and successfully brought the flames under control.

Responding to the incident, P.V. Ramana Murthy, President of Steel Inter, and U. Ramaswamy, General Secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), demanded immediate corrective measures to prevent such incidents from recurring. They emphasized the necessity of employing experienced and skilled personnel to handle critical operations at the plant.