Visakhapatnam, India – An industrial accident at the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL)-run Visakhapatnam Steel Plant on Monday claimed the lives of eight workers and left six others injured. The incident occurred when molten iron, being transported by a crane, unexpectedly spilled onto the workers.
Officials reported that the molten metal involved in the spill was at an extremely high temperature, approximately 1,600 degrees Celsius. The mishap took place around 4:15 PM, according to Visakhapatnam District Collector M Abhishikth Kishore. The six injured individuals were promptly transported to two private hospitals in the port city for urgent medical attention.
Government Responds to Vizag Steel Plant Accident
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed profound grief over the loss of lives. In a statement on X, he offered condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a swift recovery for the injured. The Prime Minister also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased worker, and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also conveyed his distress over the tragedy. He confirmed that he had communicated with relevant officials, directing them to coordinate relief measures across all government departments. Authorities have initiated immediate relief and rescue operations, with further details regarding the precise cause of the accident still pending investigation.