3 killed in major fire at IOC depot in Jaipur

At leastu00a012 people were killed andu00a0over 150 injured when a major fire broke out at an Indian Oil depot in Sitapura industrial area near here Thursday evening.
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Many of the injuries were reported from nearby areas and caused due to the shattering of glass panes, officials said.

The fire broke out at around 7.30 PM last evening when petrol was being transferred from the depot to a pipeline and swiftly spread out of control.

A leak in the pipeline is suspected to have caused the blaze. Residents of about ten nearby villages, which house an estimated five lakh people, and inmates of hostels in 10 engineering and technical colleges and a medical college have been evacuated in the wake of the incident after which power supply in the area was cut off.

The injured have been admitted to the government-run SMS Hospital and the nearby Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, he said.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora who reached the site on Friday morning said the fire has to die down on its own and there was "no other solution" to douse the leaping flames.

"You cannot do anything now. It (fire) has to die down on its own," Deora, who arrived here this morning, told reporters.

Asked if the fire would continue to rage, he said "Thats what experts say. There is nothing else one can do.

There is no other solution or alternative". Deora said the "Centre is in touch with authorities and are trying to help the aggrieved. We are also trying to provide proper treatment for the injured".

According to media reports, the government has also announced a compensation of Rs5-10 lakh for the victims.

The fire was of great intensity and the flames could be seen from a distance of over 15 km. People living in nearby areas heard loud explosions when the fire broke out.

"I work in a factory very near to the area. As soon as the fire broke out, we rushed out of our factory. We also heard a couple of loud explosions," Ramkumar, a worker in a small factory, said.

Amit Agarwal, a student of a private engineering college around 2 km away from the site, said the glass panes of his building were shattered due to the explosions.

Meanwhile, the administration is holding talks with the army to seek help in controlling the blaze as there is danger of it spreading to other areas.

A team of Indian Oil Corp officials has already reached the site.