BIRGUNJ, Dec 20: Two people have been killed and three others sustained injuries after a massive fire engulfed Super Gas Industry of Buhabari in Birgunj metropolitan city. Fire fighters and police are attempting to control the inferno. After gas cylinders burst, nearby settlements have been evacuated to avoid human casualties.
Fire fighters Yadav Adhikari and Madhusudhan Mishra were burnt to death and two others have sustained severe injuries, Sher Bahadur Karki, a firefighter told Republica Online. The police are yet to confirm the deaths. Sanjib Nepal and Arun Kumar Mahato sustained severe injuries. After primary treatment at local hospital, both have been airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.
Gas bottling plant's negligence blamed for fire
“A technical team from India has arrived. We’ve cordoned a radius of 1 km to avoid casualties,” Ganesh Regmi, SP of Parsa said adding that the technical team suggested the fire would die on its own after the gas finished.
Fire fighters from both Nepal and India have teamed up to control the fire. However, with the inferno, neither vehicles nor firefighters have been able to proceed toward the plant. Earlier, a fire brigade was charred in an attempt to control the fire.
The municipality office had informed of a gas leakage to the fire brigade at 5:30 am. There had been no fire at the time. It is assumed that the carbon monoxide from the vehicle’s silencer sparked a flame and led to explosion.
“I was going to the cowshed when I heard screams of a blazed man running. He was bleeding and his clothes were all burnt,” Harendra Patel said, a local said, adding that by the time a local had provided clothes, ambulance had arrived. The fire started at 6:30 AM today and explosions were heard until 8:20 AM.
While the explosions have ended, the fire continued to burn and smog has covered the area. A kilometer away from the gas plant, the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force are stationed.
