The Death toll from Wednesday’s blast at National Thermal Power Limited (NTPC) Unchahar plant in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli district, has now risen to 32.
Power producer NTPC shut down the 500 MW unit following the accident. Union Power Minister R K Singh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were among the top leaders to have visited the site and got a first hand account of the disaster.
Doctors warned the toll was likely to rise as more than a dozen contractual laborers were battling for life with more than 90 per cent burn wounds.
Government has announced Rs 20 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of those killed in the accident .
Allegations have been made that Unit where the accident happened was made operational in a hurry. The high death toll is indicated to have been caused because of a high number workers being engaged in the plant for paint job and varnish while the a leakage was being fixed by engineering staff.
NTPC, however, has denied the reports
500 MW units at @ntpclimited Unchahar have not been made operational in hurry & the units didn’t trip on two occasions as being rumoured.
— NTPC Limited (@ntpclimited) November 2, 2017
