Major fire breaks out after explosion at oil refinery in Visakhapatnam

Explosion and fire at the Visakhapatnam oil refinery

Late Monday evening, an explosion occurred at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited refinery in the Indian port city of Visakhapatnam, followed by a major fire. Local media reported this, including citing footage from the NDTV channel showing thick smoke rising over nearby residential areas, causing concern among residents. Anadolu is reporting on the incident.

Fire contained in a tank

According to media reports, the fire started in a tank containing sulphur pitch: high flames and thick smoke rose over the facility's territory. Several fire engines and emergency response teams were deployed to extinguish the blaze. Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi confirmed the incident and stated that the fire was confined to the tank and posed no threat to other parts of the plant. No information about casualties had been received at the time of publication; firefighting efforts were ongoing.