New Delhi, Nov 2:  The Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Muhammad Salim Engineer has expressed sorrow at the death of nearly 26 workers in the NTPC boiler blast in Rai Bareli on Wednesday. In a statement to the media, Salim Engineer said: ” We offer our condolences to the relatives of the deceased. We urge the administration to offer suitable compensation to the relatives of those who lost their lives and provide free medical care to the injured. The result of the magisterial probe should be made public and if there was any laxity in maintaining the standard operating procedures of the equipment then the guilty must be awarded punishment”.

A massive explosion took place in a 500 MW boiler unit in Unchahar town on the Lucknow-Allahabad highway. Many were trapped when a fire erupted in the boiler and a huge ball of dust rose after the blast, making the rescue operations difficult. The death toll rose to 26 on Thursday, with more injured workers succumbing to their burn injuries, officials said.