What happened

A catastrophic explosion in Boiler 1 at Vedanta Limited's Chhattisgarh Thermal Power Plant ruptured piping in the lower boiler area and released superheated steam and combustion products into nearby work areas. By 19 April, authorities confirmed 24 deaths; POWER Magazine reported that at least 36 workers had suffered grievous burns, while casualty totals evolved as hospitalized workers died. A preliminary technical investigation and Sakti Forensic Science Laboratory findings, summarized by police and Indian media, attributed the explosion to excessive coal-fuel accumulation in the furnace and an uncontrollable pressure rise. Those accounts said the primary-air fan began malfunctioning at about 10:30, but operators continued running the unit and increased load from roughly 350 MW at 13:03 to 590 MW by 14:09. Investigators alleged that restricted airflow, unburned-fuel buildup and aggressive load ramping exceeded the lower piping's design margin; the resulting furnace-pressure excursion ruptured the bottom-ring header area and vented high-pressure steam. POWER Magazine emphasized that it had not independently reviewed the underlying technical reports. Police opened a negligence case, and criminal, magisterial and specialist boiler investigations examined alleged maintenance and operating lapses involving Vedanta and contractor NTPC GE Power Services. The entry therefore presents the detailed failure sequence as preliminary investigative findings, not a final adjudication.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.