Gotibandh village in Dumariya block of Gaya district is mourning the death of seven men who were killed after hot slag from a molten metal furnace fell on them at a steel plant in Baloda Bazar-Bhatapara district, Chhattisgarh, on Thursday. The victims were the sole breadwinners of their families.
The deceased have been identified as Shravan Kumar aged 22, Rajdev Bharti aged 22, Jitendra Bhuiyan aged 37, Badri Bhuiyan aged 42, Vinay Bhuiyan aged 40, and Sundar Bhuiyan aged 40. Among them was a father-son duo, Sundar and Rajdev. Five other workers sustained serious burn injuries and are being treated in Chhattisgarh.
According to their families, the victims had migrated to Chhattisgarh around fifteen days ago under the guidance of a local contractor named Uday Yadav. They left their families and children behind in the hope of earning a better livelihood. The accident occurred when a sudden furnace explosion caused molten slag to fall on the workers, killing them instantly.
Villagers described the shock and grief following the accident. The deaths have left families devastated, both emotionally and financially. Vinay Bhuiyan had four daughters and a son, and Jitendra Bhuiyan had a four-month-old daughter. The tragedy has created a severe economic crisis for the affected families and a deep sense of loss across the village.
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted. He also promised that adequate compensation would be provided to the families and arrangements would be made to bring the bodies back to Gaya for the last rites.
