Bhubaneswar, Jun 13 (IANS): At least 19 persons were injured in an accident at the Tata Steel plant at Meramandali in Odisha's Dhenkanal district on Tuesday, officials said.

According to Tata Steel officials, the accident occurred at the blast furnace power plant at around 1 p.m. during inspection.

The 19 injured were immediately shifted to the occupational health centre inside the plant and then to Cuttack for further treatment. The condition of two persons is stated to be critical.

Dhenkanal SP Gyanaranjan Mohapatra said a valve carrying hot water got opened and 19 persons were injured in the incident. A team from the district administration will also visit the spot for an investigation, he said.

Tata Steel said: "We are working closely with relevant authorities and conducting our own internal investigation. Safety remains our top priority and we're committed to learning from this incident. More details will follow as they become available."