A hot metal pipe exploded in blast furnace number 3 at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant here on Friday morning. Noone was injured.
The incident is said to have taken place during the morning shift. Production was stopped as precautionary measure. The management said the reason for the blast will be probed.
The blast furnace produces around 8000 MT of hot metal per day. The furnace, which is part of the 6.3 million tonne expansion project, was commissioned last year.
INTUC leader Ramachandra Rao and other union leaders demanded an independent inquiry into the incident.
As per the initial estimate from the union side, the loss might be around ₹100 crores. However, the official estimate is likely to be released by evening.
