N Chandrababu Naidu, Oil Minister inspect site of GAIL fire tragedy

RAJAHMUNDRY (AP): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today visited the site of the pipeline fire tragedy in East Godavari district in which 15 people perished.

Naidu, who cut short his visit to Delhi, arrived at the site of the accident at Nagaram village, where a GAIL-owned gas pipeline caught fire after a blast early this morning, accompanied by Pradhan and officials of the PSU and East Godavari district.

They inspected the site and spoke to the officials and local residents on the accident which also left 18 people injured when a massive blaze raged through parts of the village following a blast in an apparently leaking gas pipeline.

Naidu later left to visit the injured who are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the coastal district, about 560km from Hyderabad.

The leaping flames from the Gas Authority of India Ltd ( GAIL) pipeline quickly swept through nearby houses in Nagaram and coconut plantations, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

A large number of burnt coconut plantations bore testimony to the fire.