5 killed in blast at ship breaking yard in Gujarat

Five persons were killed on Saturday and seven others injured when a blast triggered by a suspected gas leak took place in a ship being dismantled at the Alang ship-breaking yard in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat.

"Five persons were killed while seven others sustained injuries after a fire broke out following a blast in the ship which was being dismantled in plot number 140 at the yard," Police Sub-Inspector K J Rathod of Marine Police

Station, Alang said.

Prima facie, the blast occurred due to sudden gas leakage when ship-breaking activity was in progress, the officer said.

The intensity of the blast claimed five lives on the spot while the injured were rushed to the nearest hospitals for treatment, he said.

The exact reason behind the explosion has not been ascertained yet, PSI Rathod said, adding the forensic science laboratory officials are on the spot for carrying out further investigation. The cause will be clear only after forensic reports come.

This incident comes a day after a gas pipeline fire in Andhra Pradesh killed 15 people.

Image: The reason of the blast is not known. Photograph: File photo/Reuters