Srinagar, April 30 (IANS) One person was killed and two others injured in a steam boiler explosion in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, officials said on Thursday.

The officials said that a blast occurred at a cold storage unit in the fruit mandi area of Aglar in south Kashmir’s Shopian district late Wednesday evening.

One engineer was killed, and two others were injured during repair work. The incident occurred at Zum Zum cold store when a steamer being repaired exploded.

The injured were shifted to the District Hospital Shopian for treatment, where one of them succumbed to injuries, while two others are undergoing treatment.

The deceased has been identified as Saurabh Singh, while the injured have been identified as Dileep Kumar and Ram Kumar.

All three are residents of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. A steamer in such units refers to a steam-generating system or boiler used for heating, pressure control, or maintenance operations within the facility.

It operates under high pressure and temperature, and any malfunction during repair or operation can lead to explosions, making it a high-risk component if not handled properly.

These three employees were reportedly engaged in repair work at the cold storage facility when the explosion took place.

The cause of the blast is being ascertained. More details are awaited.

Notably, a cold store (cold storage facility) is a temperature-controlled unit used to preserve perishable goods such as fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural produce by slowing down spoilage and extending shelf life.

To maintain a steady supply of fruits, especially apples, in the national markets, a number of cold storage units have come up in the south Kashmir districts, wherein ripe fruit is kept to be sent to markets outside the valley when apples are in short supply.

The practice of keeping apple crop in cold storage also prevents glut in the markets that happens due to the arrival of large quantities of fruit in the autumn months. Glut naturally causes a fall in the rate, and growers often complain of poor returns due to flooding of markets with fruit arrivals.

–IANS

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