Fire at Vadodara IOCL refinery: Death toll rises to 2
Vadodara (PTI): The death toll in a fire at the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) refinery in Gujarat's Vadodara city has gone up to two, while another injured person was undergoing treatment, police said on Tuesday.
The fire that began on Monday afternoon with a blast in a benzene storage tank of the refinery later spread to two other adjoining tanks, Jawahar Nagar police station inspector A B Mori said.
The blaze was brought under control after efforts which continued till the wee hours of Tuesday, he said.
Two persons -- Dhimant Makwana and Shailesh Makwana -- died in the fire. An IOCL official received injuries and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital, Mori said.
The condition of the injured person was stable, he said.
The blaze was brought under control after extensive efforts involving several fire tenders brought in from nearby cities and towns, officials said.
The blast occurred at the IOCL refinery located in Koyali area on the outskirts of Vadodara which triggered the blaze, an official earlier said.
The IOCL in a statement on Monday evening said the "fire was reported at around 3.30 pm in a benzene storage tank (1000 KL capacity) at Gujarat Refinery".
The adjacent water sprinkler system was activated to contain the fire, it said.
"The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained," it added.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) D J Chavda told reporters late Monday night that the fire had spread to the adjoining storage tanks.
Visuals showed thick plumes emerging from the refinery which could be seen from kilometres away. Several workers were evacuated and could be seen exiting the IOCL campus.
Following the fire, fluid circulation in the IOCL complex was stopped as per the standard operating procedure. Other storage tanks were being cooled to ensure the blaze didn't spread, Vadodara Police Commissioner Narasimha Komar said.
All the employees who were working in the shift were moved out of the refinery and the people reaching the refinery for subsequent shifts were turned back for safety reasons, he said.
The police, district administration officials and senior executives of IOCL reached the site after the incident.
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Three more arrested in connection with murder of Suhas Shetty in Mangaluru
Mangaluru (Karnataka), May 14 (PTI): The Mangaluru City Crime Branch has arrested three men in connection with the murder of Hindutva activist Suhas Shetty, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Azaruddin alias Azar alias Ajju (29), Abdul Khader alias Noufal (24) and Vamanjoor Noushad alias Chotte Noushad (39), were arrested during the last two days, they said.
With the fresh arrests, a total of 11 people have been arrested in connection with the murder so far, police said.
According to a police statement, Azaruddin had previously been booked in three theft cases registered at Panambur, Suratkal, and Mulki police stations. He allegedly provided information about Shetty's movements to the other accused, aiding in the murder.
Khader is said to have assisted the accused during their escape in a car after the murder was committed.
Noushad is accused of having conspired with the others and directly participated in the crime. He has six previous criminal cases, including murder, attempted murder, and robbery conspiracy, registered at various police stations in Dakshina Kannada, police said.
Azaruddin has been remanded in judicial custody, while Khader and Noushad have been taken into police custody for seven days for further investigation.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and efforts are underway to trace other accused involved in the case.
Shetty, a known rowdy sheeter and Hindutva activist, was murdered by a group on May 1 within the Bajpe police station limits in Mangaluru City.
