Bihar: Four, including a senior section engineer of rail factory, injured in blast at Bela rail factory

Four employees, including a senior section engineer, were injured in a blast at Bela rail factory in Bihar’s Saran district on Wednesday evening. Harkishore Rai, superintendent of police (SP), Saran, said preliminary investigation has revealed that the blast occurred after a hot chemical liquid fell from a crane on a spot that was waterlogged.

The powerful blast damaged the factory shed and the glass front of the crane.Locals said two women from nearby villages fainted because of the deafening blast and window panes of some houses in the vicinity were also shattered.

Uttam Kumar, chief administrative officer of the factory, said four persons have sustained burn injuries due to the blast. Senior section engineer Pramod Kumar and crane operator Amit Kumar’s injuries are critical and they have been shifted to a private hospital in Patna.The other two injured persons have been admitted to a hospital in Saran, Kumar said.

An investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the explosion, said DK Mishra, assistant security commissioner of the factory.

The Bela rail factory manufactures rail wheels and was established when Lalu Prasad was the railway minister. The foundation stone of this factory was laid on July 29, 2008, and the construction work was completed three years later at an estimated cost of ₹1,450 crore.Production started in 2013 and the factory has an annual target of manufacturing one lakh rail wheels.