Bhubaneswar: A worker died after an abandoned fuel storage tank exploded during dismantling work at a petrol pump in Odisha’s Baleshwar district on Wednesday.
The mishap took place at Baligohiri in Nilagiri town.
According to sources, three labourers from Kolkata were engaged in cutting an old underground oil tank at the filling station when it suddenly caught fire and went off with a loud blast. The impact was so strong that the tank’s lid flew off and struck Birendra Singh, a staff member of the petrol pump. Singh, a native of Bimuria village under Remuna block, died on the spot.
After being alerted, Nilagiri police rushed to the site and detained the petrol pump owner Dipti Kanta Mohapatra, manager Kamalalochan Nayak and two workers for interrogation.
Meanwhile, tension prevailed at the spot as angry locals staged a protest and damaged property at the petrol pump demanding justice for the deceased.
Police have launched a probe into the incident.
