Blast at gas power plant in Bengaluru, 15 injured

Bengaluru, Oct 2 (IANS) A "minor" explosion was reported at a 370 MW gas power plant of the state-run Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd in Bengaluru early on Friday, leaving 15 persons injured, including two critically, an official said.Speaking to IANS, District Fire officer, Kishore, said that they received a call from the plant at 3.30 a.m., and fire fighters rushed to the spot."Four fire tenders, two water pumps and two one foam tender were rushed to the spot. The Rail Wheel Factory had immediately rushed one foam tender from its side, but we did not use it," he said.Kishore said that the department used foam tender to extinguish fire. "This was a medium range fire incident, had it not been controlled in time, it had the potential to cause a major loss," he said.He added that the primary reason was an electric short circuit that resulted in the minor explosion where oil was stored.Local residents said that they heard a loud blast-like sound and saw fire tenders and several ambulances lining up in front of their flats, creating panic.
--IANS nbh/vd