Visakhapatnam Steel Plant accident: eight feared dead in ladle blast, fire at SMS-1

A major industrial accident struck the public sector Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL)-run Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) on Monday (June 8, 2026) evening, at about 4.40 p.m., after a ladle carrying liquid steel exploded at Machine-2 of the Continuous Casting Department (CCD) in the Steel Melting Shop-1 (SMS-1) unit, official sources in the plant said.

The blast triggered a massive fire and spilled hundreds of tonnes of molten steel across the shop floor.

Preliminary reports indicate that the spillage caused severe burn injuries to several workers at the site. Eight are feared dead, and six others sustained serious injuries. The injured were identified as R. Mallikharjuna Rao, P. Srinivasa Rao, A. Appa Rao, Satyanarayana, G. Suribabu and Paidiraju. They were admitted to corporate hospitals, including KIMS, Seven Hills, for emergency treatment.

The bodies were taken to King George Hospital (KGH) for postmortem.

Rescue under way

Heavy smoke and flames trapped several workers on the shop floor. Fire tenders and rescue teams from the steel plant and State departments rushed to the spot and worked into the evening to put out the flames and rescue the trapped workers.

The police said the molten metal was at about 1,600 degrees Celsius. The toll was yet to be officially confirmed.

CM, Ministers respond

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock and grief over the tragedy. In a post on X, Mr. Naidu said he was distressed that several workers had lost their lives.

Speaking to senior district and plant officials over the phone, Mr. Naidu reviewed the rescue operations and said he was pained by the reported loss of workers’ lives. He directed authorities to ensure coordination among all government departments to speed up rescue work and provide the best medical care to the injured.

Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, who was on an official tour in neighbouring Vizianagaram district when the accident happened, cut short her schedule and rushed to the steel plant in Visakhapatnam. On the way, she spoke to officials over the phone to take stock of the situation.

Ms. Anitha spoke to the Visakhapatnam District Collector and the city Police Commissioner, and directed officials to give the injured better treatment and to speed up rescue and relief work, her office said.

District in-charge Minister Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy and Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu also expressed grief and asked officials to hasten relief and ensure proper care for the injured.

Opposition seeks probe

Former Chief Minister and YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy mourned the deaths and demanded a full inquiry. He sought strict action against those responsible and said worker safety must be the highest priority at industrial units. He asked party workers in Visakhapatnam to help the affected families.

(With inputs from Agencies)