Mangaluru, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
One person was killed and nine others injured after a major explosion followed by a fire at the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) facility in Mangaluru on Wednesday. The fire was later brought under control.
Mangaluru Deputy Commissioner Darshan H.V. said one person was killed and nine labourers sustained injuries in the incident. The deceased was identified as 30-year-old Manish, a resident of Haleyangadi who was working as an electrician at the MRPL plant.
Police said Manish was at the site with injured worker Rajesh Baptist when the explosion occurred. He suffered fatal burn injuries, following which fire personnel carried out an operation to recover his body.
The injured were identified as Rajesh Baptist, Prasad, Indrajit, Raman, Jarome, Jayaram, Avinash, Akshay and another person. Baptist, a resident of Surathkal, suffered around 30 per cent burns and was admitted to the ICU of Srinivasa Hospital. The other injured workers were shifted to AG and MRPL hospitals.
Preliminary information indicated that the explosion occurred at around 12.15 p.m. in MRPL’s hydro-treating unit while testing was underway. Officials said a potentially larger tragedy was avoided as workers had left the unit following a shift change at around 11.30 a.m.
Karnataka Health Minister U.T. Khader, who is also the Mangaluru District In-charge Minister, said the explosion occurred during testing and that the injured had been hospitalised. He added that the situation was under control.
The blast was powerful enough to be felt in several areas surrounding the refinery, including Panambur, Kavoor, Surathkal and Jokatte. The impact was captured on CCTV cameras, while thick smoke spread across the surrounding areas.
Residents in Jokatte, located adjacent to the MRPL premises, reported rattling doors and windows, with glass panes broken at some locations. An Anganwadi centre near the refinery also suffered damage to its window glass and wall. The children at the centre were evacuated as a precaution.
A church located around 2 km from the MRPL facility also reportedly suffered damage, with roof tiles as well as windows and doors shattered.
Mangaluru International Airport authorities said the impact of the explosion was felt at the airport, but there was no damage to its infrastructure and no glass panes were broken.
Following the explosion, a fire broke out in the boiler section of the unit. MRPL’s fire and emergency services, along with city fire tenders, were deployed to contain the blaze, which has since been brought under control.
The exact cause of the explosion and the extent of the damage are yet to be established.
Local activist Muneer Katipalla alleged that residents had raised safety concerns when the unit was established and began operations around a decade ago. He claimed that previous incidents at the facility had not received adequate public attention and called for complete disclosure of information about Wednesday’s incident.
Katipalla also alleged that several buildings in the surrounding area, including a school and Anjuman building, suffered damage, while doors and windows of nearby houses were affected. He demanded that the authorities provide detailed information about the incident and address safety concerns of people living around the refinery.
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