Published On : Mon, Feb 10th, 2014

One person killed, another hurt seriously as blast rips through gas filled tank in MIDC, Butibori

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The incident occurred in Paras Tyre Company, owned by Sudhir Chopda, when three welders ignited the gas cutter in order to plug leakage in one of the pipelines in the gas filled huge tank. A powerful explosion took place as soon as the gas cutter was ignited by the welders hurling them in the air up to 100-150-foot away from the tank resulting in death of one of them on the spot.

File Pic

File Pic

Nagpur News.

One person was killed and another injured seriously when a powerful blast ripped through a huge tank, filled with explosive gas, in a factory under Butibori Police Station on Monday. Another person was also killed but the police have not yet confirmed the death.

According to reports, Sudhir Chopda runs Paras Tyre Company that deals with extraction of oil from the burning tyres. Around 5-7 labours work in the Company who are deployed by a contractor named Patle. Paras Tyre Company has built a huge tank admeasuring 30-foot in height and 8×2 feet in breadth.

The Paras Tyre Company owner Sudhir Chopda and others working in the company notice a gas leaking in the tank through one of the pipelines. Chopda, in order to plug the leakage, called three welders, Lala Motiram Shukla (34), Ram Bihari and the third unidentified welder. All the three welders climbed up the 30-foot tank for plugging the leakage of the gas.

However, as soon as the three welders ignited the gas cutter, a massive blast ripped through the gas filled tank with a deafening sound and thus hurling the three welders in the air up to 100-150-foot away from the tank. All the three crashed onto the ground with terrible force resulting in death of Lala Motiram Shukla on the spot. Ram Bihari suffered total fracture in the lower part of back, deafness and other serious injuries. The third welder was also critically injured. Ram Bihari was admitted to Ratna Hospital in Butibori and the third unidentified welder was rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Nagpur. According to reports, the third welder too succumbed to his injuries but police have neither confirmed the death nor denied it.

The DySP (Rural) Vasant Shirbhate, Butibori PI B J Chavan and other policemen reached the spot immediately after receiving the information about the gruesome incident. Police launched investigation into the matter and recorded statements of some people in this connection. The owner of Paras Tyre Company Sudhir Chopda has been reported absconding and police have launched a manhunt to trace him. An accidental case has been registered by the police under Section 174 of the IPC after the preliminary probe into the incident.

The deafening sound and subsequent report of deaths triggered tension in the nearby area.