Maharashtra: One of 22 injured due to Jalna boiler blast dies in hospital

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A worker has died from burn injuries sustained in the Jalna boiler blast on Sunday. According to a PTI report, a boiler explosion was reported at Gaj Kesari Steel factory in Maharashtra's Jalna. The explosion, which occurred on Saturday afternoon, injured 22 workers, seven of whom were critically hurt by molten iron.

The deceased, identified as Ramesh Bhaturam, had suffered severe burns covering 98 per cent of his body and succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Sunday morning, stated the PTI report.

The news agency report further said that the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Ambadas Danve, visited the factory and criticised the management for failing to ensure safety. He called for strict action against the factory in the wake of the Jalna boiler blast and expressed concern about the frequency of such incidents.

Danve, accompanied by the company's director Ram Agarwal, Jalna Steel Association president Ghanshyam Goyal, and Shiv Sena (UBT) colleagues Bhaskar Ambekar and Anirudh Khotkar, urged the administration to address the safety lapses seriously.

The Chandan Jira police have registered a case against the factory's manager Dilip Jha, furnace in-charge Sudhakar Roy, and crane driver Ashok Prajapati based on a complaint from worker Mohammed Rafiquddin who was injured in the Jalna boiler blast.

Meanwhile, Jalna Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Kale has called on the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health to take immediate steps to improve worker safety in such units.

In a separate incident, a private helicopter en route from Mumbai to Hyderabad crashed in Mulshi tehsil of Pune district on Saturday afternoon. Fortunately, all four people on board survived. The helicopter, operated by Global Vectra Aviation, crashed near Kondhwale village around 2 pm.

The pilot, Captain Anand, was hospitalised in Paud, while the three passengers - Veer Bhatia, Amardeep Singh, and S P Ram - sustained only minor injuries. The crash is believed to have been caused by bad weather, as the area has been experiencing heavy rain. Inspector Manoj Yadav of Paud police station reported that the helicopter hit a babul tree before crashing to the ground, which may have reduced the impact. There were no reports of technical issues with the helicopter, stated another PTI report.