Mangaluru (Karnataka), Sep 30 (PTI) One person was killed and eight injured in a massive explosion at the MRPL oil refinery near Jokatte here on Wednesday, police said.
Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) also confirmed the death of one person.
Meanwhile, police registered a case against two officials of MRPL regarding the incident following a complaint.
The body of the deceased, identified as Manish Karkera (30) from Mulky town, was completely charred while the injured have been shifted to the hospital, according to police.
Condition of one of the injured is said to be critical, police added.
In a statement, MRPL called it a fire incident and said it the blaze was extinguished after 2.30 hours after it erupted.
“During the subsequent combing and inspection operations following the firefighting activity, the body of one deceased person was found at the affected site. One person who sustained burn injuries is undergoing treatment at the hospital and is being provided necessary medical care,” MRPL Chief General Manager Rudolph V Noronha said in the statement.
Noronha added that earlier an incident involving the rupture of a Cold Separator operating at high pressure in the Coker Hydrotreater Unit resulted in a fire at around noon. The battery limits of the affected unit were immediately isolated, and MRPL’s emergency response and firefighting teams were deployed to control the situation.
Earlier, the explosion was so strong that people felt the tremor and rushed out of the house suspecting that it was an earthquake.
Many houses developed cracks, glass windows broke and utensils fell on the ground. The roof tiles of a church nearby shattered into pieces.
The loud explosion was heard at least 10-12 kilometres away. A large plume of thick black smoke followed which was visible even from far-off places.
Fire tenders from Mangaluru, Pandeshwar and nearby areas rushed to the spot.
The explosion occurred in the Jokatte area, where the refinery’s third plant is located.
Acting on a complaint filed by the injured persons and the owner of the catering company for the workers in that plant, the Surathkal police registered a criminal case against the head of the Coker Hydrotreater Unit (Phase-3) and the top management of MRPL,
The First Information Report (FIR No. 132/2026) was registered based on a written complaint filed by 53-year-old Ravi Poojary, an employee of ‘K Star Food and Hospitality Services, a catering vendor providing food and water to workers inside the refinery.
According to the complaint, the incident occurred at around 12:15 PM inside the Coker Hydrotreater Unit in Bala village, Katipalla. Poojary stated that while workers were present near the facility, a massive explosion erupted due to the failure and bursting of mechanical equipment within the unit.
The blast caused severe burn injuries and physical trauma to multiple personnel on site.
Contract worker Manish Karkada (30), hailing from Mulky, succumbed to severe burn injuries sustained during the blast. His charred body was later recovered from the site. Several others, including the complainant Ravi Poojary, Rajesh Prasad, Indrajeeth, Raman Kumar, Lokesh Kulai, Jayaram, Jerom, Avinash, Akshay, Jagajeevan Singh, Sharath Shetty, and Rajesh Poojary, were caught in the blast zone and shifted for medical care.
The police have booked the Unit Head and the Head of MRPL under Sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery), 125(b) (act endangering life or personal safety causing grievous hurt), and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The complainant alleged that the failure of unit heads and management to ensure proper safety maintenance of high-pressure machinery directly led to the fatal disaster. PTI CORR GMS SA
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