3 workers killed in Ballari Steel Plant accident; washed away in the tunnel | India News

BALLARI: Three civilian workers were washed away in a tunnel at a private company’s steel plant in Torangal industrial hub in Ballari district of Karnataka on Thursday.

The deceased have been identified as Panthi Jadeppa (31) from Hosapete (Karnataka), Shivamahadev (22) from Chennai and Sushant Krishna Nainaru (23) from Bengaluru.

Water is continually pumped through tunnels to cool the glowing iron bars. Due to a problem in the power supply, water flow in the tunnel of a particular unit was disrupted on Thursday.

The three workers entered the tunnel to inspect it. While the trio was inside, a massive torrent of water suddenly flooded the tunnel, washing away the three workers and dumping them into tanks nearly 80 feet deep.

District SP Ranjith Kumar Bandaru said two bodies were recovered by Thursday evening and the third was found on Friday morning.

The company has not yet made an official statement about the accident.