Four employees were killed on the spot when a boiler exploded at an effluent treatment plant of a distillery unit of Nirani Sugars here on Sunday.
Eight people, including a nine-year-old boy, were injured in the incident. The condition of three is critical. The injured are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Mudhol and Belagavi.
The death toll is likely to go up as more people are said to be trapped under the debris. Work is on to rescue those trapped, said to be from Bihar.
Almost the entire building collapsed due to the impact of the blast. The explosion occurred around 12.15 pm, minutes after the second shift began.
People inside houses in the town and nearby villages experienced tremors following the incident. Window panes of a school in the vicinity also broke. Smoke engulfed the area for some time following the explosion, eyewitnesses said.
The deceased are Sharanabasappa Thotada, 35, of Afzalpur in Kalaburagi district, the plant manager, operators — Jagadish Pattanashetti, 34, of Navalagi in Jamakhandi taluk in the district, Shivananda Hosmutt, 43, of Yadahalli in Mudhol taluk — and fitter operator Nagappa Dharmatti, 38.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has ordered a probe into the blast.
In a statement, the Chief Minister’s Office said the Bagalkot district administration had been directed to submit “a full report” on the mishap.
Kumaraswamy has also directed authorities to deploy ambulances from the neighbouring districts of Vijayapura and Hubballi-Dharwad for rescue operations. District authorities have also been asked to provide necessary compensation and help to the families of the deceased labourers.
Belagavi regional commissioner P A Meghannavar and northern range IGP H S Revanna visited the spot and supervised rescue operations.