Two dead, 4 seriously injured in blast at shipyard in south Goa

Panaji, Oct 17 (PTI) Two workers died and four others were seriously injured on Friday in a blast at a shipbuilding yard at Rassai village in south Goa, some 30 kilometres from here, an official said.

The incident took place at 6:30pm in the shipbuilding yard owned by Vijai Marine Services, the senior Fire and Emergency Services official said.

"When our team arrived at the spot, two workers were already dead and four others were seriously injured. Prima facie, it seems a cylinder exploded. The blast took place inside an under-construction ship," the official said.

The injured workers were first taken to South Goa District Hospital in Margao and then shifted to Goa Medical College and Hospital near here, a police official said.

South Goa Collector Egna Cleetus told reporters a Disaster Management team comprising the Deputy Collector, Police Inspector, Fire and Emergency Services, Anti Terrorism Squad and Bomb Disposal Squad have rushed to the site.

"I will be able to comment only after receiving their report. The exact cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained but witnesses have claimed the explosion happened in a room in the ship where welding work was underway," Cleetus added. PTI RPS BNM