Lucknow: At least 15 labourers are dead and over 100, including four assistant general managers, are injured after the steam pipe of a boiler burst at the thermal power plant of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Unchahar, Rae Bareli district, about 120 km from state capital Lucknow, on Wednesday afternoon.

According to sources, NTPC has banned the entry of outsiders into the premises and injured workers are being taken to local hospital. However, NTPC officials are tight-lipped on the mishap.

The NTPC plant, named after Feroz Gandhi, an MP and husband of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, produces 500 megawatts of thermal power and employs around 1,500 labourers. The plant comes under the limits of the Unchahar police station.

All the ambulances of the district have been pressed into action to ferry the injured to the hospital for immediate medical aid.

The death toll is expected to rise.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is on a three-day visit to Mauritius, took note of the incident and directed Principal Secretary, Home, Arvind Kumar, to ensure quick relief and rescue to mishap victims.

Ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to next kin of deceased, Rs 50,000 to those with critical injuries and Rs 25,000 to those with minor injuries has been announced by the state government.

Senior officials of district administration including district magistrate Sanjay Khatri, chief medical officer and chief medical superintendent have already reached the Unchahar plant.

While Senior bureaucrats including Lucknow Divisional Commissioner and IG are expected to reach Unchahar anytime soon, King George’s Medical University in state capital Lucknow has also been put on alert to receive the critically injured workers and provide them immediate medical care.