3 min readRaipurUpdated: Apr 17, 2026 09:47 PM IST
The death toll in the explosion at a Vedanta Ltd.power plant in Chhattisgarh’s Sakti district rose to 21 after another worker succumbed to injuries at Kalda hospital in Raipur. Five others remain critical and nine are under observation, doctors said.
In a related development on Friday, leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Charan Das Mahant of the Congress, demanded culpable homicide not amounting to murder against officials of the Vedanta Group.
At a press conference, Mahant said: “We need a judicial inquiry rather than a SDM level probe. Those injured need to be treated at specialised burn units in Mumbai or Coimbatore. There must be a state-of-the-art Burn hospital in Chhattisgarh”.
Citing figures tabled in the Vidhan Sabha, Pradesh Congress Committee in-charge Deepak Baij said, “Nearly 300 (296 workers) were killed in industrial accidents over the last three years in Chhattisgarh and 248 workers suffered injuries,”
On Thursday night, another worker succumbed to his injuries at Kalda hospital in Raipur. The deceased, Kismat Barkat Ali, was a resident of Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh. Ali and three more workers were rushed to Kalda hospital in the wee hours of Wednesday, where two were declared dead on arrival. The fourth worker, Upendra Sah from Garhwa, Jharkhand, is on ventilator support with over 90 percent burn injuries.
The incident occurred around 2.30 pm Tuesday when a massive explosion took place in Boiler-01 at the Vedanta power plant. A preliminary technical report by the Chief Inspector of Boilers stated that excessive accumulation of fuel inside the furnace led to extreme pressure and the explosion. The pressure displaced the lower pipe of the boiler from its designated position, causing the accident, the report. A report from the Forensic Science Laboratory, Sakti, also confirmed that fuel accumulation and the resulting pressure were the primary causes.
“During the investigation, it came to light that Vedanta Company and NGSL did not properly adhere to the standards regarding the maintenance and operation of machinery and equipment. Negligence in equipment upkeep and lapses in operation caused sudden fluctuations in the boiler’s pressure, leading to the accident. Based on available evidence and technical reports, clear negligence has been observed in the incident,” an official statement said.
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On Thursday, an FIR was registered under BNS sections for death due to negligence, among other provisions, against “Vedanta Company Director Anil Agarwal, Company Manager Devendra Patel, and other responsible officers and employees for prima facie negligence”.
In a statement after the incident, Vedanta Limited Chhattisgarh Thermal Power Plant said its immediate priority was to “ensure the best possible medical assistance and treatment for all those affected”.
“We are extending full support to the injured and are closely coordinating with medical teams and local authorities. We are in the process of ascertaining details, and a thorough investigation has been initiated in coordination with our partner and relevant authorities,” it said.
