Major fire rips through naphtha pipeline in Haldia, at least 30 workers injured; train services disrupted

A devastating industrial accident occurred at the Haldia Refinery in West Bengal during the early hours of Tuesday, when a violent fire ripped through a major pipeline transporting highly volatile naphtha. The blaze broke out unexpectedly between 4:00 AM and 4:30 AM, quickly escalating into a massive inferno that illuminated the pre-dawn sky. The sudden explosion and intense heat caused immediate panic within the facility and surrounding residential pockets.

Upon hearing the blast, local residents and refinery officials rushed to the site to initiate emergency protocols. At least 15 refinery employees and contractual workers sustained severe burn injuries as they were trapped in close proximity to the rupturing pipeline. Emergency response teams managed to extricate the victims from the thick smoke, rushing them immediately to the Haldia Sub-Divisional Hospital. Medical officials have confirmed that several of the injured workers are currently in critical condition with extensive thermal trauma.

Fire tender units from the refinery and the local municipality arrived at the spot within minutes to battle the raging chemical fire. Firefighters are actively deploying specialized chemical foam suppressants to isolate the pipeline network and contain the highly flammable hydrocarbon liquid from spreading further into adjacent processing units. While containment operations are still underway, senior plant managers have initiated an immediate internal inquiry to determine whether the ignition was caused by a sudden pressure drop, structural fatigue, or a technical valve malfunction.