Hyderabad, June 27 : At least 15 people were feared killed and several others suffered serious injured when Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) pipeline burst caused a major fire in Tatipaka of Mamidikuduru mandal of East Godavari district in the early hours of Friday.
The blast in the GAIL pipeline took place around 5:30 AM due to a gas leak in the pipeline. "The injured have been admitted to Amlapuram hospitals. The Officials of the Ministry and GAIL are in contact with the district administration. The fire has been brought under control. All the steps have been taken on the site for prevention, like closing of input/output valves to the pipeline. The cause of the accident is still not known," the Ministry of Petroleum said in its statement.
Minister of State (Independent charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has ordered a high level inquiry into the pipeline explosion. The inquiry will be undertaken by the Committee, headed by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural gas, ED, HPCL, ED, OISD, and a nominee from the National Disaster management Authority (NDMA).
Pradhan has condoled the deaths. He has expressed concern at the accident, and assured that strong steps for safety and security of oil and gas installations will be taken so as to ensure non-recurrence of such incidents.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has expressed deep shock at the tragedy. Home Minister N Chinarajappa and District Collector Neetu Prasad supervised the rescue and relief operations. INN
