The death toll in the Unchahar boiler blast went up to 26 on Thursday even as several others were battling for their lives. PTI put the toll at 29.
Of the 26 officially listed as dead, seven died at Lucknow hospitals. Some 60 more are being treated at hospitals in Rae Bareli and Lucknow. Two seriously injured employees of NTPC were flown to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, while two others were taken to Apollo in New Delhi, the police said. Post-mortem has been conducted on 10 bodies, and many of the dead are yet to be identified.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who visited the plant, demanded a judicial probe. The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a magisterial probe.
Union Power Minister R. K. Singh has ordered an inquiry by the executive director of NTPC.
PM grants ex gratia to victim’s kin
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh each for the families of those killed in the explosion and ₹50,000 each for those injured, the PMO said on Twitter.
Five units operational at Unchahar plant: NTPC
State-run power giant NTPC on Thursday said five units were operating normally at its accident-hit Unchahar thermal plant in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh. The unit 6 of the 1,550-megawatt plant,where a boiler exploded on Wednesday, is under shut down, the power PSU said.
Dismissing the allegations by the Congress that the plant was started prematurely, the NTPC clarified that the units were not made operational in a hurry. The units also did not trip on two occasions on the day of the incident as being rumoured, the NTPC said.
"There are rumours that the unit is by a non-Indian manufacturer. Most of our units are constructed by BHEL and all running well. The 500 MW Unit at Unchahar has been designed, constructed and manufactured by BHEL," the NTPC said.
(With inputs from PTI)