Srisailam hydroelectric power plant fire

On 20 August 2020, a major fire broke out in late night hours, in an underground hydroelectric power plant in Srisailam in the state of Telangana. The fire blaze killed 9 people, including 5 engineers and 15 employees who were inside the power plant escaped since the fire broke out.[1][2] It was suspected that the fire broke out due to a short circuit situated at Srisailam's dam left bank.[3] The fire had been brought under control by the firefighters after several hours of struggle as of 21 August 2020 and the rescue operations were delayed for hours due to the smoke. The bodies of nine workers were recovered during the rescue operations.[4]

2020 Srisailam hydroelectric plant fire
Date20 August 2020 (2020-08-20)
LocationSrisailam, Telangana, India
CauseElectrical short circuit in the power plant
Deaths9

Background

India has recorded numerous cases related to fire accidents in the history mainly due to lack of safety facilities and inadequate fire extinguishers. The Visakhapatnam gas leak, Vijayawada fire, the Delhi factory fire, and the Delhi hotel fire were the country's worst fire accidents in the recent times. India is currently the third worst affected country in the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fire incident has posed further burden and humiliation to the healthcare sector impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Response

Chief minister of Telangana K. Chandrasekhar Rao ordered an immediate inquiry by the CID to probe regarding the incident.[5] Andhra Pradesh Chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy who was scheduled to visit Srisailam for an aerial survey of a project apparently cancelled his visit and instead promised to offer assistance.[6]

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his deep condolences regarding the tragic incident and tweeted that he was anguished by the terrible incident.[7]

References
  1. Aug 21, Roushan Ali / TNN / Updated:; 2020; Ist, 20:11. "Srisailam Power Plant Fire Accident: 9 dead in Srisailam power plant fire mishap | Hyderabad News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 August 2020.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. "India power plant fire: Nine reported dead in major blaze in Telangana". BBC News. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  3. "9 Dead In Fire At Telangana Hydroelectric Plant". NDTV.com. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  4. P, Ashish; HyderabadAugust 21, ey; August 21, 2020UPDATED:; Ist, 2020 18:55. "Srisailam fire: 9 bodies pulled out of hydel plant in Telangana". India Today. Retrieved 21 August 2020.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. "9 Dead In Fire At Telangana Hydroelectric Plant". NDTV.com. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  6. "CM Jagan Mohan Reddy cancels Srisailam visit after fire breaks out at hydroelectric power station". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  7. "Telangana Srisailam power plant fire: Five engineers among 9 killed; 'deeply unfortunate,' says PM Modi". The Indian Express. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.

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