Nine killed, 11 injured in molten iron explosion at Vizag steel plant
Mangalore Today News Network
Hyderabad, June 9, 2026: Nine workers were killed and 11 others injured, several of them critically, in a major industrial accident at the state-owned Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL)’s Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalle district on Monday evening.
The tragedy occurred in the Continuous Casting Department (CCD) of Steel Melting Shop-1 (SMS-1) when a ladle carrying molten steel reportedly exploded during a lifting operation.
According to officials, the vessel was transporting liquid steel at a temperature of nearly 1,600 degrees Celsius when it ruptured, causing a massive spill of molten metal. The resulting fire engulfed workers in the vicinity, killing nine of them instantly. The intense heat left the bodies severely charred and difficult to identify.
The explosion triggered panic among employees, prompting an immediate evacuation of the area. Emergency sirens were sounded, while ambulances rushed the injured to nearby hospitals. Fire and rescue teams worked to contain the blaze and assist those affected.
The deceased have been identified as Apparao, Prabhakar Rao, Krishna, Ramana, Trinath, Gold Kumar, Appalaraju, Bhanukumar and Ramanath. Six of the victims were regular employees and three were contract workers. Around 20 workers were reportedly on duty when the accident occurred.
The injured, including Ravuri Mallikarjuna Rao, Pallela Srinivas, Arjun Apparao, Satyanand, Suribabu and Paidirajulu, are undergoing treatment at hospitals.
Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivas Varma described the incident as tragic and said preliminary reports indicated that the explosion occurred while molten steel was being transported in a ladle. He added that the exact cause would be determined only after a detailed investigation. Union Steel Minister D. Kumaraswamy also reviewed the situation and sought details of the accident.
"We suspect a blast triggered the fire, but a thorough investigation is needed to determine the actual cause," said workers’ union leader N. Ayodhyaram.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the incident and directed officials to ensure speedy rescue, relief and medical assistance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of lives and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for each injured person.
Steelmaking Process at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant
The Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, operated by RINL, is currently undergoing a revival programme after the Centre approved a financial package of Rs 11,440 crore last year.
The steelmaking process begins with molten iron produced in blast furnaces at temperatures of around 1,600 degrees Celsius. The liquid iron is transported to the Steel Melting Shop, where it is refined into steel in Basic Oxygen Furnaces.
Large overhead cranes lift and transfer hot metal ladles containing up to 150 tonnes of molten iron. Oxygen and fluxes such as lime are added to remove impurities, converting the molten iron into steel. The refined liquid steel is then transferred to ladles for further processing before being poured into Continuous Casting Machines, where it is cast into semi-finished products such as slabs, billets and blooms.