19 people injured in furnace blow-up at Indian Oil’s Barauni Refinery

• Of the 19 injured, 11 have already been discharged after first aid, and the condition of the remaining are stable, said Indian Oil
• The OMC said that the incident of a furnace blow-up took place at its Barauni Refinery during the lighting up of the burner in one of the furnaces of the AVU-1 unit

New Delhi: Nineteen people have sustained injuries during an incident of a furnace blow-up that took place at Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) Barauni Refinery in Bihar at around 10.30 am on Thursday. Among those injured, five were refinery employees and 14 were contractual workers, said Indian Oil in an official statement. "The 19 injured persons were immediately provided first aid and then admitted to the Refinery Hospital and nearby Glocal Hospital for timely medical treatment. Of the 19 injured, 11 have already been discharged after first aid, and the condition of the remaining are stable," the statement added.

Indian Oil Barauni refinery blow-up

Terming the blow up as a minor incident, Indian Oil said that the incident of a furnace blow-up took place at its Barauni Refinery during the lighting up of the burner in one of the furnaces of the AVU-1 unit, causing minor injuries to people working in the vicinity. "There has been no fire or any death, and the injured are entirely out of danger," said the oil marketing company.

Cause of incident under investigation

The planned shutdown of the Barauni refinery has been on since August 20. The cause of the incident is now under technical investigation. The refinery operations of the other units remain unaffected. The refinery authorities have assured that everyone inside and outside the refinery premises is entirely safe. Senior officials from District Management, including the SDM and DSP, visited the spot and described the situation as being entirely under control.

"As soon as the incident was reported, the Refinery's Emergency Disaster Response Management System was activated, ensuring prompt action," said Indian Oil.

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