Public CompanySix missing IOC staff feared dead in Jaipur fire
The toll in the fire at Indian Oil Corp"s (IOC) fuel depot outside the Pink City may rise to nine as six missing employees are now feared dead, even as fire fighters and the Army worked to contain the blaze that has burnt about Rs 150 crore worth of auto fuel.
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"Three civilians are confirmed dead and one is seriously injured. Six of our staff - three officers and three blue collared employees, are missing," IOC Chairman Sarthak Behuria, who visited the accident site this morning, said.
Five civilians were seriously injured while 40 others sustained minor injuries. The injured were admitted to various hospitals in the city and are undergoing medical treatment.
There were nine IOC employees and one Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) employee at the tank farm that had a capacity to store 1,00,000 kilolitres of petrol, diesel and kerosene in 13 tanks when the fire broke out at 1930 hrs yesterday.
About 50,000 kl of fuel, mostly diesel, caught fire due to a pipeline leak at one of the tanks that stored petrol after the daily routine of loading products in tank trucks ended. Three IOC staffers and the lone BPCL employee managed to escape while six were trapped and are now feared dead.
"The fire continues to rage in 4-5 tanks where the product is being allowed to burn under controlled conditions so that the intesity of the fire and the damage that it is likely to cause is minimised," Behuria said.