Mangaluru: One person was killed and eight injured in a massive explosion at the MRPL oil refinery near Jokatte here Wednesday, police said.
Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) also confirmed the death of one person.
The body of the deceased, identified as Manish Karkera (30) from Mulky town, was completely charred, while the injured have been shifted to the hospital, according to police.
The condition of one of the injured is said to be critical, police added.
In a statement, MRPL called it a fire incident and said it the blaze was extinguished 2.30 hours after it erupted.
“During the subsequent combing and inspection operations following the firefighting activity, the body of one deceased person was found at the affected site. One person who sustained burn injuries is undergoing treatment at the hospital and is being provided necessary medical care,” MRPL Chief General Manager Rudolph V Noronha said in the statement.
Noronha added that earlier, an incident involving the rupture of a Cold Separator operating at high pressure in the Coker Hydrotreater Unit resulted in a fire at around noon. The battery limits of the affected unit were immediately isolated, and MRPL’s emergency response and firefighting teams were deployed to control the situation.
Earlier, the explosion was so strong that people felt the tremor and rushed out of the house, suspecting that it was an earthquake.
Many houses developed cracks, glass windows broke, and utensils fell on the ground. The roof tiles of a church nearby shattered into pieces.
The loud explosion was heard at least 10-12 kilometres away. A large plume of thick black smoke followed, which was visible even from far-off places. Fire tenders from Mangaluru, Pandeshwar and nearby areas rushed to the spot.
The explosion occurred in the Jokatte area, where the refinery’s third plant is located.
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