More than 10 people were injured after a major fire broke out at a naphtha-carrying pipeline of Haldia refinery in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district in the early hours of Tuesday, officials said.
The fire was first spotted around 2.45 am, they said, adding that it quickly spread to Chiranjibpur in ward 13 of Haldia Municipality, engulfing several houses.
Twelve fire trucks were deployed, and firefighting operations are still underway, officials said.
The injured were rescued and taken to Haldia Sub-Divisional Hospital. Five of them were later shifted to Tamluk Medical College and Hospital, where two were reported to be in critical condition, a police officer said.
“The area has been secured, and firefighting operations are continuing. The exact cause of the incident will be known only after a detailed investigation,” he said.
The blaze also damaged overhead railway equipment near the site, disrupting train services, officials said.
