26 dead at Indian power plant after boiler pipe explosion engulfs workers with burning steam
One survivor described being engulfed by burning hot steam when the explosion occurred
The death toll from an explosion at a coal-fired power plant in northern India has risen to 26, the government said Thursday, as 10 more people died of their injuries.
Several more victims are being treated for critical injuries sustained Wednesday when a boiler pipe burst at a plant in Raebareli district of northern Uttar Pradesh state, run by India’s largest state-owned power utility.
A list prepared by the state government showed 26 people had died, though some have yet to be identified.
One survivor described being engulfed by burning hot steam when the explosion occurred.
The man lost consciousness and woke up in hospital covered in burns, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
Anand Kumar, a director general of police in the state capital Lucknow, said preliminary findings suggested that ash had collected in the furnace below the boiler, causing the explosion.