Visakhapatnam Steel Plant accident victims to receive compensation package
Visakhapatnam: Families affected by the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant accident will receive compensation, employment support and educational assistance, Union Heavy Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy announced on Monday.
The minister visited the accident site along with Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V. Anitha, Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat, TDP state president Palla Srinivasa Rao and MLC Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao.
Expressing condolences to the bereaved families, Kumaraswamy urged employees to remain united during the difficult period. He described the tragedy as a major setback at a time when efforts were underway to restore the steel plant to full operational capacity.
Families of the deceased will receive an ex gratia payment of ₹25 lakh each. Injured workers will receive ₹10 lakh each. The minister said the relief measures would cover both regular and outsourced employees.
Visakhapatnam Steel Plant accident probe begins
Kumaraswamy said affected families could continue living in Ukkunagaram quarters until the employee’s retirement period. Additionally, the government will support the education of their children and provide one permanent job to each affected family.
The minister noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed grief over the tragedy. He said the Prime Minister announced ₹2 lakh for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for injured workers from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
Meanwhile, the Centre has constituted a special investigation committee comprising experts from other steel plants. The panel will inspect the accident site, determine the cause of the incident and recommend measures to prevent similar accidents.
According to officials, an explosion involving a ladle carrying molten steel in the SMS-1 unit caused steel at nearly 1,500 degrees Celsius to spill. The Visakhapatnam Steel Plant accident claimed eight lives and injured six others.
Later, Kumaraswamy visited the hospital and met workers undergoing treatment.
I travelled to Visakhapatnam immediately upon receiving information about the incident and reviewed the situation with senior officials. I also met the injured workers undergoing treatment and directed the management to ensure the best possible medical care and extend all… pic.twitter.com/XZGl0Meb2Z
— ಹೆಚ್.ಡಿ.ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ | HD Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) June 8, 2026
