Kolkata, June 30 (IANS) Panic spread across the industrial township of Haldia in East Midnapore district of West Bengal on Tuesday after a fire broke out in the naphtha pipeline at the Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL) refinery.

According to the eyewitnesses, the fire erupted early in the morning and very soon spread, taking a serious shape.

Several people have been reportedly injured, and many of them have been rushed to a local hospital.

The first extinguishing operations began immediately with the arrival of two fire tenders, and gradually more fire tenders reached the spot. At the time the report was filed, a total of 12 fire tenders were at the spot carrying out firefighting operations, and the blaze was yet to be brought under total control.

However, the district administration has not confirmed any casualty at the time the report was filed.

A district administrative official confirmed that as of now, 35 persons reportedly received burn injuries following the fire, and the conditions of some of them are critical.

Eyewitnesses said that the fire was first detected around 5 a.m. A pipeline carrying naphtha at the JPL refinery caught fire.

However, it is not yet clear how the fire broke out.

Initial speculation is that the naphtha pipeline might have developed a leak, which could have caused the fire. The flames were so intense that several workers working nearby were injured by them.

It is learnt that the place where the fire broke out was adjacent to the railway tracks connecting Haldia with Panskura, and hence the train services on that line have been halted.

It is learnt that local people were the first to start rescue operations, and later the personnel from the state fire services department also reached the spot.

The injured persons who were rescued were first rushed to the nearby Haldia Subdivisional Hospital. Since the condition of some of them was serious, they were later transferred to Tamluk Medical College and Hospital.

The fire was yet to be brought totally under control at the time the report was filed.

As the initial statement issued by the HPL authorities, preliminary information suggests that the incident might have occurred in the vicinity of an unauthorised naphtha theft point located in the plant vicinity.

“Naphtha is a highly combustible and extremely flammable hydrocarbon, and the company has consistently cautioned local communities against any unauthorised access to or handling of petroleum products due to the serious safety risks involved,” the statement read.

It also said that the exact cause of the incident was currently under investigation in coordination with the relevant authorities.

“At this stage, it would be premature to comment further or attribute responsibility until the investigation is complete,” the statement added.

–IANS

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