Our Bureau
Raipur
At least 14 people were killed and 20 others injured in a major boiler blast at the Vedanta Limited power plant in Singhitarai village of Sakti district on Tuesday afternoon, police said. The explosion took place in a boiler tube at the plant during routine operations, causing severe damage to part of the facility.
Sakti district Superintendent of Police Praful Thakur said three of the deceased succumbed to their injuries on the spot, while the remaining victims later died at hospitals. The injured workers were rushed to nearby hospitals in Raigarh for treatment.
The blast occurred in the Singhi Tarai area of Sakti district, where Vedanta operates the power plant. Local administration and police teams reached the site soon after receiving the call and launched a rescue and damage‑control operation. Preliminary reports suggest the explosion happened in a boiler tube, but the exact cause is still under investigation.
Vedanta has expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased and said an internal probe has been ordered to examine the sequence of events and safety protocols followed at the plant. Authorities have also constituted a separate investigating team to look into the incident and ensure that all safety norms were being followed at the facility.
Local residents living near the plant reported hearing a loud blast and seeing smoke rising from the site, which led to panic in the surrounding area. The incident has once again put the spotlight on industrial safety standards in power plants and factories across the state.
