New Delhi: At least one person is believed to have been burnt to death in a fire that erupted after a blast took place in the warehouse of chemical storage tanks near Gujarat's Kandla port in Kutch district. More details are awaited about the incident. However, contrary to what many reports have claimed, the fire has nothing to do with Indian Oil. Also, Indian Oil does not have any refinery in Kandla, sources have told PSU Watch.
A source at Indian Oil said that the state-run fuel retailer's Gujarat refinery is in Vadodara, around 400 km from Kandla Port. "In Kandla, we have a marketing terminal, which is also 6-7 km away from the site of fire incident," the source said. Therefore, the Kandla port fire has not had any impact on Indian Oil refinery or the marketing terminal. The fire has erupted in the chemical storage tanks of "some Indian molasses company," a source said. The tanks contained menthol, which is a highly inflammable substance.
"A methanol storage tank at Kandla Port caught fire. One dead body has been recovered from the site. Firefighting operations are underway," Kutch (East) Superintendent of Police Parikshita Rathod was quoted as saying by NDTV. Rathod has added that fire tenders have been rushed to the spot and fire personnel are engaged in dousing the flames.
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