Eight workers were injured, two critically, after an electric furnace exploded at the Ambay Steel factory in Janaki Rural Municipality-5, Bakaspur, Banke, on Sunday morning. The critically injured have been transferred to Lucknow, India, for further treatment, police said.
The incident occurred around 5:45 AM when a short circuit in one of the three 25-ton capacity electric furnaces used for melting iron caused a fire and subsequent explosion, according to the District Police Office, Banke.
Shiva Prasad Chamar, 28, and Ramdin Harijan, 22, both from Janaki Rural Municipality-5, Banke, were the two critically injured workers sent to Lucknow, India, at 8:45 AM on Sunday. The other injured workers are Prem Dhobi, 24, Dilip Kumar Yadav, 29, and Laxmiram Yadav, 35, all from Banke, as well as Rajkumar Nishad, 29, Nashiv Kumar Nishad, 24, and Vinod Kumar Nishad, 25, all from Bahraich district, India. They are currently receiving treatment at Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj, and their condition is stable, police added.
Upon receiving information about the fire, a five-member police team led by Police Senior Sub Inspector Ludra Bahadur KC from the Khajura Khurd Area Police Office was dispatched to the scene. Two fire engines from Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City and one from Kohalpur Municipality, along with personnel from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and local residents, brought the fire under control by approximately 8:15 AM.
The District Police Office, Banke, stated that further investigation into the incident is ongoing. The detailed extent of the physical and financial damage caused by the fire is yet to be determined.
Background
- Ambay Group was established in 1982 by Shobhakar (Hari) Neupane as a trading company in Kathmandu.
- Ambay Steels Limited was established in Bhairahawa in 2009, and Jay Ambay Steels Limited was established in Nepalgunj in 2019, both producing TMT rebars under the 'Ambay' brand with a combined daily production capacity of 1,400 metric tons.
- Previously, a chemical tank at the same Ambay Steel factory caught fire, resulting in damages estimated at Rs 15.6 million.
