Watch: What happened minutes after the blast at NTPC plant in Raebareli

RAEBARELI: Thirty two people died and dozens of others were injured on Wednesday when a massive blast took place in Unit 6 in National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)'s Unchahar plant. A video of the incident shot on mobile shows smoke emerging out of the plant and chaos all over as people run around in panic. 

Eyewitnesses claimed that they had heard a "sudden abnormal sound” at around 3:30 pm. Immediately after, dark bellows of gas and steam were seen escaping into the sky. "I heard a deafening sound and saw fire," an eyewitness who was at a nearby tea-stall had said.

Reports suggest that preliminary probe indicates that safety measures were not in place because of which the blast took place. While the Centre has ordered a probe by the NTPC's executive director, while the state administration ordered a magisterial probe. "Twenty-nine people have succumbed to injuries and 85 were being treated at hospitals in Rae Bareli and Lucknow," the NTPC said.

Unit Number 6 of the plant has been shut down after the accident but five other units of 1,050 MW capacity were operating normally. The 1,550-MW plant supplies electricity to nine states, according to officials, and employs around 870 people.

Nine of those seriously injured, five of them with critical burn injuries, were on Friday moved to the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. "Nine of the injured have been brought to Safdarjung. While five of them have 50-60 per cent burn injuries, the others have 25-40 per cent burn injuries," said Rajendra Sharma, the Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital.

A green corridor was created to bring the patients to the national capital from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh in view of the seriousness of their condition.

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel on Thursday night visited Safdarjung Hospital "to oversee and ensure that patients from the blast got the best medical care and treatment".