The death toll in the blast at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has risen to 10 after another contract worker succumbed to burn injuries.
The Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) management has suspended 22 officials across multiple departments, holding them responsible for the accident.
The incident occurred on June 8 when molten steel leaked in one of the units, killing eight workers on the spot and leaving six others seriously injured.
One of the injured workers died on June 10, and another succumbed to injuries on Saturday afternoon.
The RINL official said the body of the deceased has been shifted to King George Hospital for post-mortem examination.
The suspended officials include 10 personnel from the SMS-1 and SMS-2 units, five officials from the material management department, and seven employees from the quality assurance and testing department.
Trade union leaders have called for a thorough investigation into systemic failures and the implementation of corrective measures to prevent future incidents.
