In a tragic accident after a molten iron spill at Visakhapatnam Steel plant run by Rashtriya Ispat Nigam (RINL), about eight workers died and six were injured on 8 June, 2026.
The accident occurred at around 4:15 pm in the steel melt shop-1 when workers were moving a bucket of molten iron, heated to about 1,600°C, with a crane when it tipped and spilled. The police reported that the spill caused a strong explosion that sent flames up and set the crane on fire. Five bodies were found at first, and rescue teams pulled out three more from the debris as the toll rose to eight.
The injured workers were taken to two private hospitals in Visakhapatnam of which two of them are in a serious condition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences and has announced Rs 2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund for the families of each worker who died, and Rs 50,000 for each injured worker. N Chandrababu Naidu, chief minister, Andhra Pradesh has expressed grief and has ordered officials to work together to give relief to the affected families.
Trade unions have blamed the accident on staff shortages as the plant tries to meet production targets amidst privatisation plans. The plant management has called it a “freak accident” and implied that safety rules were followed. Meanwhile, RINL has started an internal inquiry and set up a three-member outside committee, led by the director-in-charge of Steel Authority of India’s (SAIL) Bokaro plant, to investigate what went wrong.
