Seven workers and infant suffer burns in fire at carbon plant in Raigarh

Raipur: Seven workers and a nine-month-old infant were grievously injured with burn wounds after a huge fire broke out during the tyre-melting process at a carbon plant in Kharsia region of Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district on Thursday. The injured have been identified as Indrajeet Khadiya, Saheb Ram, Shiv (Saheb Ram's son), Indravd (all residents of Rajghatta), Priya Udasin (of Kharsia) and Priya's nine month-old daughter Bhumi. Other injured persons have not yet been identified. All the injured were rushed to the Raigarh district hospital, where doctors said the victims were in a critical condition. "Some patients have suffered 70 to 80 percent burns, and their condition remains precarious," a doctor at the district hospital said, adding that the infant's condition was "particularly worrying." Police are examining how a nine-month-old child was present inside an industrial facility and whether workers were provided basic protective gear and safeguards for handling high-temperature processes. The infant is suspected to be the child of one of the injured workers, they said. Raigarh ASP Anil Kumar Soni said that the incident occurred in Banipathar area, when workers were engaged in melting old tyres as part of a recycling process to produce carbon. Eyewitnesses said the explosion was so loud that people working nearby were caught off-guard as flames and hot gas swept through the work area, leaving several workers with severe burns. "It could be due to a sudden rise in pressure or a technical fault. A detailed probe is underway," an officer said. Soon after the incident, police and local officials reached the plant, cordoned off the premises and began an inquiry into whether safety protocols were being followed.