A victim of a fire at a petrochemical plant is brought to a hospital for treatment in Purba Medinipur district, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Kolkata, the capital of India's West Bengal state, 30 June 2026.  AP
World

Fire at petrochemical plant in eastern India injures at least 20 people

UNB/AP

A fire at a petrochemical plant in eastern India injured at least 20 people, five of them critically, police said.

The blaze broke out Tuesday in a naphtha pipeline at a facility operated by Haldia Petrochemicals and quickly spread to nearby homes in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of the state capital, Kolkata.

Firefighters used 12 fire engines to bring the blaze under control, while the injured were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals, police said. The injured included plant workers and at least two security guards.

Firefighters spray water to extinguish a fire at a petrochemical plant in Purba Medinipur district, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Kolkata, the capital of India's West Bengal state, 30 June 2026.

Video from the scene showed firefighters dousing the blaze with water as thick black smoke rose from the burning pipeline.

Naphtha is a highly flammable petroleum product used in the production of fuels and other chemicals.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Haldia Petrochemicals said in a statement it was investigating the incident.

Also Read

The women holding together Bangladesh's climate frontline

Bangladesh keeps policy rate at 10% as central bank maintains anti-inflation stance

No AL programmes, whether ‘refined’ or ‘new’ in name: Adviser Zahed

‘Pathetic’, ‘soft’, ‘a joke’: Experts rage at ‘terrible’ VAR call against Germany

Bangladesh suffer an innings defeat to Zimbabwe for first time in 25 years