Monday, Jun 20, 2005
Monday, Jun 20, 2005 |
| Kerala | ||||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Kerala
-
Kochi
Staff Reporter
DISASTER: The tank which collapsed at Vathuruthy, near Wellingdon Island, on Sunday. — Photo: H. Vibhu
KOCHI: : A man was killed and two others injured when a 1,500-kilolitre tank built to store petroleum products collapsed at Vathuruthy early on Sunday morning. The area is of strategic importance since it is located very close to the Naval airport, port and shipyard. Two fuel bunks are located near the tanks. Work on the tank was completed a few days ago and it was filled with water for pressure testing. Early on Sunday morning, it started slanting and collapsed when some workers came close to inspect the damage, with the result that lakhs of litres of water gushed out. The workers were caught in the flow. The victim, Keshav Mallar, 45, of Akkola district, Maharashtra, was killed after he was rammed against a nearby wall. Two others were injured. The collapse spread panic among residents as water gushed into their houses. "Though far from the sea, we thought it was a tsunami attack," said Sanu T.R., general convener of the Wellingdon Island Action Council, formed to create awareness on the dangers posed by 37 such tanks in the area. The tank, which collapsed, belonged to B.R. Petrochemicals. The company has nine other tanks in the area. A leakage followed by fire had taken place in December 2004 in one of the tanks of Konkan Storage Limited, another company. "Lucky, the tank contained only water. Had it been filled with petroleum products, the aftermath would have been unimaginable. The basement of the tank was very weak and proper piling had not been done. Settlements in the area would have been further affected had the tank collapsed in the opposite direction," Mr. Sanu said. The tanks are located in land filled up by the Cochin Port Trust (CPT) and given on lease to private companies. The companies have laid pipelines from the port to the tanks. Some of them protrude at different places. The companies have also reportedly sought permission of the CPT to build a few more. Highly-placed sources in the CPT said that the Port was yet to give permission to the company to begin using the tanks. "The incident happened during the construction stage. Companies have to get clearance from us, the Department of Explosives, Factories and Boilers Department, Fire Force and civic authorities before utilising the storage space," the sources said. Keshav's body has been kept in the mortuary of the Ernakulam General Hospital. A post mortem will be conducted after his relatives arrive. He was staying with other workers in a shed near the work site.
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | The Hindu Images | Home |
Copyright © 2005, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
