KARACHI, July 15: At least five people were injured when a splash occurred at a convertor in the Steel Mills on Monday evening, it is learnt.

The work at the steel making department came to a standstill following the accident, and is expected to resume on Wednesday.

According to the sources, two out of the five injured are employees of the Steel Mills, while the three other are daily wagers. The employees were admitted to Baqai Hospital and the daily wagers were shifted to a government hospital off Sharea Faisal and were released shortly afterwards.

The employees— Ali Asghar (officer) and Mohammad Shamshad (non-officer)—have received burns on their heads and legs. The hospital sources say that Ali Asghar has received 14 per cent burns and Shamshad has received around 24 per cent burns. Both are recovering, they add.

The steel making department of the Mills has two convertors. One of them has already been closed for some time for repairs, and the second one has been closed after the accident. A three-member committee has been formed to ascertain the causes of the Monday’s accident.

It may be recalled that some time back nine people had burnt to death in a similar accident — one of the worst industrial disasters of the country — in the same steel making department.

A spokesperson for the Mills said that a minor splash occurred at the convertor, due to which two employees — Ali Asghar (junior officer) and Mohammad Shamshad (convertor operator) — were injured. He said they had been shifted to Baqai Hospital and were recovering fast.

He said steel making work might start again in a few hours — early hours of Wednesday — probably on the same convertor on which the accident occurred, as the other convertor was undergoing routine repairs.