Two Vizag burn victims die at Airoli hospital

On Friday, two of the five Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) workers, who were admitted at the National Burns Centre in Airoli, Navi Mumbai, succumbed to their burn injuries.

After the explosion at the state-owned RINL plant in Vizag on Wednesday, the five workers were critically burnt and admitted to the Airoli hospital on Friday night just an hour before the two workers died. The victims were taken from Vizag to Mumbai by air ambulance after doctors at Vizag deemed it necessary to shift the injured to National Burns Centre. Dr Bimal Bhatt, who is one of the doctors treating the injured after the explosion, said from Vizag, "We found that the five injured workers were badly burnt and could not have been treated in Vizag so we decided to shift them to Airoli."

The National Burns Centre at Airoli, Navi Mumbai. PIC/Saurabh Katkurwar

RINL is taking care of all treatment expenses. "We have spent over Rs 7 lakh for the air ambulance and have asked the hospital to provide all the necessary treatment regardless of the cost. We have also deputed some of our officials to look after the workers," said a senior RINL official.

Two patients were admitted to the National Burns Centre on Thursday night while three others were admitted on Friday night. Doctors at the National Burns Center said the three surviving workers are critical. "The two workers who died on Friday suffered from over 75 per cent burns. The three workers are battling for their lives because they, too, have suffered over 75 per cent burns and over 70 per cent lungs burns. We are doing our best to save their lives," said Dr Sunil Keshwani of National Burns Centre.

The deceased have been identified as Murlidhar Raju (41) and Narayan Rao (40). The injured, MBS Sarma (48), Ranjan Bhattacharya (41) and Dulbir Singh Kalsi (56) - who is general manger of Vizag Steel Plant - are admitted in the ICU.

Relatives of the injured have flocked to the National Burns Centre but were in no condition to speak about their kins' ordeal. Arnab Banargee, nephew of Ranjan Bhattacharya, said, "We just know that my uncle has suffered over 75 percent burns and we haven't spoken to him yet. I do not know what will happen."u00a0