Chhattisgarh Power Plant Accident Claims 20 Lives in Boiler Blast

Tragic Chhattisgarh power plant accident at Vedanta facility in Sakti leaves 36 workers injured; victims from multiple states as postmortems continue and compensation announced.

Boiler Blast at Plant  

A boiler explosion ripped through the Vedanta power plant in Singhitrai, Sakti district, around 2 pm on Wednesday. Four workers died on the spot. Debris flew everywhere and plant machinery suffered heavy damage. Panic spread quickly as workers rushed to safety.

Death Toll Hits 20  

The toll climbed to 20 by late Wednesday. Seven bodies were sent for postmortem at Raigarh Medical College Hospital while five more were examined at the district hospital. Relatives of the deceased struggled to reach the facilities on time. Five additional postmortems are scheduled for Thursday because family members could not arrive earlier.

Multi-State Workers Affected  

Only four victims were from Chhattisgarh. The rest hailed from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Plant security head Prem Jha confirmed that 36 workers suffered burn injuries in total. Of these, 12 were local residents of Chhattisgarh while the remaining came from the other four states. Sixteen injured workers are still undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

Postmortems in Raigarh  

Raigarh became the centre of grim activity on Wednesday. Bodies were shifted to the medical college and district hospital for examination. Some families reached from as far as Uttar Pradesh after receiving news of their relatives. Hospital corridors saw distraught relatives waiting for formalities to be completed. Two workers, Umendra and Kismat Ali, continue treatment at a private hospital in Raipur while three others are being treated at Balaji Metro Hospital in Raigarh.

Aid for Victims Families  

Vedanta management announced immediate relief. Families of the deceased will receive ₹35 lakh each along with a job offer. Injured workers will get ₹15 lakh apiece. The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund will contribute ₹2 lakh per deceased family and ₹50,000 to each injured worker. The Chhattisgarh government has pledged ₹5 lakh for families of the dead and ₹50,000 for the injured.

Minister Visits Raigarh  

Commerce and Industry Minister Lakhan Lal Devangan, who also holds the labour portfolio, is scheduled to visit Raigarh on Thursday. He will meet injured workers and hold a meeting with the collector and senior officials. The visit comes amid mounting concern over safety standards at industrial units across the state.

Probe Into Accident Ordered  

Labour Minister Lakhan Lal Devangan said immediate instructions have been issued for a thorough investigation. “Strict action will be taken against those responsible under labour laws. No negligence will be tolerated at any level,” he stated. The Congress state unit chief Deepak Baij demanded ₹1 crore compensation for each deceased family and ₹50 lakh for the injured, describing the incident as “extremely painful”.

The Chhattisgarh power plant accident has once again highlighted risks faced by migrant workers in heavy industries. As investigations proceed and relief reaches families, officials say safety audits at similar facilities will be stepped up in the coming days.