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The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday ordered an inquiry under the Factories Act into the blast that killed 11 people in the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed "shock and anguish" over the incident and directed the authorities concerned to conduct an inquiry and submit a report immediately.
The joint chief inspector of factories will conduct the inquiry while the Director of Factories is also rushing to Visakhapatnam to take stock of the situation, according to Information and Public Relations Commissioner R V Chandravadan.
"A committee is also being constituted to examine and probe the incident which resulted in the death of 11 persons and left eight injured," the Commissioner added.
The chief minister is visiting Visakhapatnam on Thursday evening to meet those injured in the blast. Leader of Opposition and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu too expressed grief over the major accident in Vizag Steel Plant. He is also visiting the port city to meet those injured.
The government should take steps to ensure that all safety standards were followed in major industrial units. There should be regular supervision by the authorities concerned in this regard, he added.
The explosion occurred on Wednesday night at the oxygen control unit near the Steel Melting Shop at the plant of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited in Vishakhapatnam.