Gas leak kills 4 at Rourkela Steel, 2 officers suspended

ROURKELA/BHUBANESWAR: A suspected leak of

toxic gas

at SAIL's

Rourkela

Steel Plant (RSP) killed four contractual workers on Wednesday. SAIL has formed a three-member inquiry committee to probe the deaths besides suspending two officers on finding prima facie lapses by them, report Mihir Ray and

Ashok Pradhan

.

"All emergency protocols have been activated in the plant," a statement from the

steel authority

said. A spokesperson of the plant said the four deceased - who were the only ones present at the site when the suspected gas leak took place - had been employed by M/s Star Constructions for maintenance work in the coal chemicals department of the factory.

Ganesh Chandra Pahil (55), Rabindra Sahu (59), Abhimanyu Sah (33) and Bramhananda Panda (51), all natives of

Sundargarh

district, fell unconscious around 9am while changing the flange bolts of a coke oven gas line, which carries, among others, carbon monoxide, methane and

ammonia

. They were rushed to hospital where doctors declared them dead around 11.40am.