An industrial accident occurred at Grizzly Vidyalaya in Koderma district’s Tilaiya Dam OP area, leaving five school staff members injured on Tuesday. The injured have been admitted to Care Hospital in Jhumritelaiya, with two reported to be in serious condition. According to Guddu Kumar Rajak, one of the injured, the incident took place in the school’s laundry facility, where uniforms for residential students and teachers are washed and pressed. While working as usual on Wednesday, the steam boiler used for ironing suddenly exploded.
The blast caused hot water from the boiler to engulf approximately half a dozen workers present at the scene. Some individuals were thrown across the room by the force of the explosion, sustaining severe injuries. The laundry room was also extensively damaged. Other school staff, alerted by the loud noise, rushed to the scene and transported the injured to Care Hospital in Jhumritelaiya using the school’s private vehicle. The condition of two employees remains critical.
Guddu Rajak attributed the accident to the negligence of the school management. He stated that the boiler had been malfunctioning for a considerable time, and multiple complaints had been lodged with the administration. Despite these warnings, the management opted for repairs instead of replacing the old machine, leading to the tragic incident. School operator Avinash Seth confirmed the accident, stating that five individuals were injured, with two in critical condition and the rest stable and receiving treatment. The injured have been identified as Guddu Rajak, Laundry In-charge Rajesh Singh, Pramod Rajak, Gautam Rajak, and Rajesh Prasad, all reportedly from Gaya, Bihar. The incident has caused concern among parents of students at the school, many of whom are contacting the institution and visiting the campus to check on their children.