On Tuesday, the IOCL said in a statement that the fire that was discovered on Monday in the benzene storage tanks at the Gujarat Refinery was completely put out at around two in the morning.
According to media reports, in a protest outside the refinery campus, residents of Koyali village in Vadodara and the relatives of the two employees killed in Monday’s benzene tank explosions at the Indian Oil Corporation Limited’s (IOCL) Gujarat Refinery have claimed that the management has not yet contacted them. Even the location of the bodies had not been made clear by the authorities.
Meanwhile, Vadodara police officials reported that a city team was sent to the post-mortem department of SSG Hospital, where the remains of the two men who had died were transported for autopsy. According to Bijal Shah, the district collector for Vadodara, one injured person is receiving medical attention at a hospital right now.
According to IOCL, the fire was put out early on Tuesday morning. According to sources, explosions in two benzene storage tanks at the refinery required around 12 hours and 35 foam fire tenders to put out the fires. Tank 68 experienced the initial explosion on Monday at approximately 3:15 p.m., but an adjacent tank experienced a second explosion at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Along with his six-year-old kid, Dhimant Makwana’s family from Tarapur sat on a dharna outside Gujarat Refinery, which is situated in Jawahar Nagar on the outskirts of Vadodara city. They demanded information about the accident and the location of the workers’ remains. In the meantime, the police tried to scatter the gathering.
Along with his family, Dhimant’s uncle participated in the dharna and stated, “No one has come to meet us or give us the news. Around four in the morning, we got a call informing us of Dhimant Makwana’s passing. His face hasn’t even been revealed to us”. Gayatri, the wife of Koyali resident Shailesh Makwana, claimed, “We haven’t seen my husband’s face since last night. The police are attempting to eject us. We’d like to know where he is. On Monday, he showed up for work as normal. The cops are threatening us, and nobody from the firm has come out to talk to us. I have two kids. How am I going to raise them? I won’t leave until we have an explanation from the officials”.
According to a statement released by the IOCL on Tuesday, “The Gujarat Refinery fire that was reported yesterday was completely put out by our firefighting personnel and mutual assistance partners at around two in the morning today. Continuous output is ensured by normal refinery operations. We express our gratitude to the local government and surrounding businesses for their assistance and collaboration throughout the entire rescue effort. We have established a high-level committee to investigate the incident’s cause in detail in the interim. We’ll provide more updates as we get closer to it”.
IOCL authorities responded to a question regarding the workers’ deaths by stating in a second statement that one of them passed away after “falling unconscious.” “We regret to notify you that one contract personnel passed away due to injuries sustained at the scene during incident rescue operations. An employee of the refinery complex’s canteen became unconscious and was taken to the hospital; he eventually passed away. The precise cause of death will be determined following a proper post-mortem. We send the families of the deceased our deepest condolences and sorrow. The company will take action to ensure they receive the proper support during these challenging times”.
“The remainder of the personnel, plant, and machinery are safe,” the IOCL continued. For safety, the area is being secured. Expert teams are currently arriving at the location to conduct an assessment.
“Since IOCL is a Union-government owned company, the inquiry into the disaster will be in accordance with the rules and a committee will be formed by them. I’ll ask for a viewpoint on whether a district-level committee should be established for the same purpose”, Shah, a collector from Vadodara, told to The Indian Express publication.
“I have communicated to the IOCL’s executive director that the deceased’s family should receive any appropriate compensation. One individual sustained a head injury, but he is said to be stable and undergoing treatment,” the collector added.
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