Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoles deaths at Bhilai plant; assures Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh of assistance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled deaths due to gas leakage at Bhilai Steel Plant and assured Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh of all help for rescue and relief operations.

"The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, spoke to Dr Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh this morning, and assured him of all necessary assistance for rescue and relief operations, and treatment for those affected by the gas leak incident at the Bhilai Steel Plant," an official statement said in New Delhi. Last evening, due to leakage of poisonous carbon monoxide gas from the blast furnace, 36 employees of the Bhilai Steel Plant got affected of which six died.

"The Prime Minister offered his condolences to the family members of those who lost their lives in the accident," the statement said. Modi also spoke to the Home Minister Rajnath Singh and directed that the Centre to coordinate with the State Government's relief operations at the plant and to ensure that all possible assistance is offered to those affected by the incident, the statement said.

Bhilai is one of the five integrated steel plants of the Steel Authority of India Ltd. SAIL said in a statement that of the affected, 21 employees were released from the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Bhilai after first aid and necessary treatment. The remaining nine are still admitted in the hospital for observation and medical treatment.

Meanwhile, a company official said casualties are unlikely to go beyond the six people who lost their lives because all the injured are out of danger.