Ludhiana, Oct 23 — One worker was killed and five others sustained serious injuries after a boiler exploded inside the government-run Verka milk plant on Ferozepur Road late Wednesday night, officials said.
The blast ripped through the air heater section of the Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (MILKFED) facility. Sub-inspector Aditya Sharma, Sarabha Nagar SHO, said six employees were on duty at the time. “Initial reports suggest that the boiler malfunction triggered the explosion,” he mentioned.
Kunal Jain, 43, who headed the air heater unit, was critically injured and later died at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). He lived in Haqiqat Nagar, Haibowal, and is survived by his wife, who also works at the plant, and their two children.
Friends of Jain said he had been at a birthday party when he received a call asking him to urgently check the boiler. “He was hesitant to go but agreed when the caller insisted. He never returned,” a friend said, grieving.
The injured workers—Ajit Singh, Puneet Kumar, Kulwant Singh, Davinder Singh Lalton, and Gurtej Singh—are undergoing treatment at various hospitals across Ludhiana.
Police have begun a probe into the circumstances leading to the blast and are questioning the plant’s management. “We are also looking into why operations were taking place on Vishwakarma Day, when industrial work usually remains suspended,” SHO Sharma noted.
