Hindustan Petroleum LPG explosion
On September 14, 1997, an LPG release occurred at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Ltd. refinery in Visakhapatnam, India. A pipeline carrying LPG from a harbor terminal to the refinery developed a leak. The LPG found an ignition source that triggered a large vapor cloud explosion. The resulting explosion and fire destroyed most of the facility's administrative buildings, numerous LPG storage vessels, processing units, and an adjacent petroleum liquid storage terminal. Fifty-six people were declared dead, but the fatality number could have been as high as 3 times the official estimate. Property damage was estimated at US $60 million.
Sources
Rodante, Thomas V., Analysis of an LPG explosion and fire, Process Safety Progress, Volume 22, Issue 3 , Pages174 - 181 (2003).
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Large Property Damage Losses in the Hydrocarbon-Chemical Industries, 20th Edition: February 2003.
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