Massive Explosion at Visakhapatnam HPCL Refinery, Thick Smoke Covers Sky | VIDEO

Andhra Pradesh: A massive explosion caused panic in an oil refinery in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on Monday night. This explosion occurred in the refinery of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), after which a massive fire broke out there. Seeing the high flames of fire and the plume of smoke rising into the sky, panic spread among the people living in the surrounding areas.

As soon as information about the incident was received, several fire brigade vehicles were sent to the spot. HPCL teams and fire department personnel started controlling the fire. According to initial information, there is no news of any casualty in this incident yet. Officials have also said that the smoke rising is not expected to be dangerous.

Where did the explosion occur in Visakhapatnam refinery?

According to officials, the fire broke out in the Residue Upgradation Facility (RUF) of HPCL's oil refinery. The explosion incident occurred in this part. However, what caused the explosion has not been officially confirmed yet. The case is being investigated. Several teams of HPCL and fire department were present at the spot to control the situation.

Did video of fire go viral on social media?

After the blast, many videos and pictures surfaced on social media platform X. In these, huge flames are seen rising from the refinery premises. Besides, a thick cloud of smoke was also seen in the surrounding sky. The incident caught people's attention after these pictures and videos went viral.

Did anyone die in the accident?

Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi confirmed the incident and said that there was a fire on the HPCL premises and there were no casualties in the accident. He said that other information related to the incident will emerge after the completion of the investigation. At present, relief and rescue teams are monitoring the situation.

Did a major accident also happen at Mangalore Refinery in September?

Earlier in September, there was also an explosion at Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. The incident took place at the refinery complex near Jokatte, in which one person was killed while eight others were injured.

The deceased was identified as Manish Karkera, 30, resident of Mulki. According to MRPL, firefighters brought the fire under control after about two and a half hours of hard work. After this, during inspection, a dead body of a person was recovered from the affected area. At the same time, a burnt person was admitted to the hospital.

Later, the police also registered a case against two officials of MRPL in this matter. This complaint was lodged by Ravi Pujari, an employee of the catering company that provides food and water to the employees at the refinery.