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Major fire at oil depot in Jaipur, 5 killed
LAST UPDATE: Friday, 30 Oct 2009 - 4:17:13 AM
JAIPUR: A massive fire erupted Thursday night at Indian Oil Coporation's fuel depot in Sitapura industrial area on the outskirts of the city killing five persons and injuring 150, police and state officials said.
IOC experts and nearly 270 army personnel reached the site of the blaze at the depot in Sanganer area, which is on a highway near the airport, shortly before midnight and braced for fire-fighting operations.
Rajasthan Health Minister Immamuddin Ahmed said two bodies recovered from the fire site were taken to Swai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital here and another one to Fortis.
At least 50 of the injured were admitted to SMS Hospital, he said.
The fire broke out at around 7.30 PM when petrol was being transferred from the depot to a pipeline and swiftly spread out of control, the officials said adding it may be several hours before the flames are completely brought under control.
A leak in the pipeline is suspected to have caused the blaze.
"The fire is massive. We are finding it difficult to douse it," Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said three hours after the fire spread to adjacent depots.
Deora said he is leaving for Jaipur Friday.
District administration sources said residents of about ten nearby villages, which house an estimated five lakh people, and inmates of hostels in 10 engineering and technical colleges and a medical college have been evacuated in the wake of the incident after which power supply in the area was cut off.
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