Smoke emanating after a blast at the MRPL unit on Wednesday.
One person died, another sustained burn injuries and 11 others suffered minor injuries following a blast in the Coker Hydrotreater Unit of the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) on the outskirts of Mangaluru on Wednesday.
A loud explosion was heard from the premises around noon, following which fire broke out and thick smoke was seen emanating from the refinery. Window panes of nearby buildings shattered owing to the impact of the blast.
MRPL said in a statement that rupture of the cold separator operating at high pressure in the unit resulted in a fire at about 12.20 p.m. The battery limits of the affected unit were immediately isolated and MRPL’s emergency response and firefighting teams were deployed to control the situation. The fire was completely extinguished by 2.47 p.m., it said.
“During the subsequent combing and inspection operations following the firefighting activity, the body of one deceased person was found at the affected site,” the statement said.
Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy gave the name of the deceased as Manish Karkada (30) of Mulky, who was working on contract basis. “His body was found in a charred condition,” the Commissioner said.
Another injured, identfied as Rajesh Baptist, sustained 35% burn injuries and was shifted to a hospital for treatment. According to the doctors, he is out of danger and being treated in the ICU. Eleven others, working in an office adjacent to the unit, sustained minor injuries. They were treated by the OPD, the Commissioner said.
Fire tenders from New Mangalore Port Authority and fire and emergency services were rushed to the spot to assist MRPL firefighters.
Meanwhile, buildings in and around Jokatte, including the gram panchayat building, witnessed tremors even as window panes of these buildings shattered because of the blast.
A vegetable trader Anoop Kumar said, “I was in Yeyyadi (in the city) to deliver vegetables. The window panes of a building shattered there like how it happens during earthquake.”
People in Angaragundi, Baikampady, Kulai and surrounding areas too experienced the loud sound and tremors.
An official from Mangaluru International Airport at Kenjar said the blast was heard at the airport too. While the airport did feel the impact of the blast, like other areas surrounding MRPL, there was no damage to airport infrastructure.
Published – September 30, 2026 08:51 pm IST
