GAIL pipeline fire: Chandrababu Naidu inspects site, angry villagers shout ‘CM go back’
Kakinada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Friday faced the anger of villagers and kin of victims who were charred to death in the GAIL gas pipeline explosion at Nagaram village in Konaseema area in East Godavari District on Friday near ONGC Gas Connection Station (GCS).
Naidu cut short his Delhi trip and reached the explosion site to take account of the accident. However, fuming villagers shouted anti-Naidu slogans like 'CM go back'.
Earlier in the day, villagers staged a protest and damaged few government vehicles parked at the accident site. They alleged that officials did not respond to their repeated pleas of changing the pipelines, as they were old and rusted.
A massive explosion on Friday on a state-owned gas pipeline running through Andhra Pradesh killed at least 15 people and gutted scores of homes..jpg)
Blazing fire after an explosion at a gas pipeline of Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) in Nagaram village (Photo: PTI)
Television pictures showed flames at least 10 metres (30 feet) high leaping into the dawn sky, scorching trees in a surrounding coconut grove in the coastal area where many live in flimsy huts.
Read: Andhra Pradesh pipeline explosion: Sabotage angle ruled out
The fire on the 18-inch (45-centimetre) pipeline owned by the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) was extinguished by mid-morning and the gas had been cut off.
A similar leakage occurred at the same site 15 days back. GAIL authorities had capped the leakage and repaired the pipeline.
However, today the gas exploded at the same pouting where the leakage of pipeline occurred previously.
Sources said that the gas spread up to a radius of nearly 200 meters. The gas leak damaged nearby areas and charred nearby houses and trees.
People standing near coconut trees burnt in GAIL gas leak fire in Nagaram village (Photo: PTI)
Panic-stricken villagers of Nagaram village fled away as soon as the incident took place.
GAIL is the country's largest state-owned natural gas processing and distribution company and its website shows it has a pipeline that transports liquefied natural gas in the area of the explosion.
GAIL explosion killed six members of a family
Six members of a family, including two children, were killed in the GAIL pipeline explosion.
According to media reports, all family members of a hotel owner were charred to death in the explosion.
The deceased included hotel owner Jadikanti Vasu, Madhu, Anantha Lakshmi, Kokila and two children Sai Ganesh and Bala Sujitha. Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition.
KCR expresses shock and offer condolences
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao expressed deep shock over the incident KCR offered condolences to the victims who lost their lives in the explosion and wished speedy recovery of the inured persons.
Watch: GAIL pipeline blast: Witnesses explain how it happened
