A massive explosion at Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) 8 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) refinery in Mathura late Tuesday left at least eight people hurt, the refinery said on Wednesday.  

Witnesses reported hearing a tremendous explosion as the Mathura facility exploded in enormous flames that could be seen for kilometres. The fire broke out in the crude distillation unit, which had been undergoing maintenance for a month. The fire was put out, and the refinery continued its operations without any interruptions, according to a statement from IOC.

Notably, the IOC has documented two incidents of this nature in the past week. Earlier, two people were killed and two injured in a tank fire that occurred at its 13.7 MTPA refinery in Gujarat on Monday. The refinery's hospital provided immediate care for the injured. Four seriously injured people, however, were eventually moved to a city private hospital for more specialised treatment. 

The IOC affirmed that no damage was done to the plant or machinery and an investigation has been initiated to rule out the cause of the fire. "The refinery's management has initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the explosion," stated Renu Pathak, senior corporate manager at Mathura Refinery, in a news release, according to PTI. She also attested to the fact that the situation is stable and the fire has been totally put out. 

The explosion, which injured multiple workers near the plant's main area, happened between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m., according to Inspector Sonu Kumar of the refinery police station. "The refinery initially attempted to contain the fire internally, and once it was under control, local authorities were notified," said he.