Dhenkanal, Jan. 6: Four contractual workers were burnt to death and three suffered serious injuries when a cooking gas cylinder burst in a workers’ colony here this morning.

Three persons were charred to death on the spot while the fourth died at SCB hospital. The condition of the three injured is serious. They have suffered over 60 per cent burn injuries.

The deceased have been identified as Chandrasekhar Kebat, 35, Santosh Kebat, 22, Bijay Chaudhury, 27, and Ramu Sahani, 36. While Sahani hailed from Uttar Pradesh, the three others were from a village in Jharkhand’s Giridih area.

The men worked for a private firm called RS Engineering, which has been engaged by L&T, which is setting up a steel plant at Meramundali for Bhushan Steel.

All the seven workers lived in a hut inside the Bhusan steel plant complex. They cooking this morning when the cylinder burst.

Labourers stopped work at the plant and demanded compensation for the victims.

The strike was withdrawn when the contractor agreed to the demands.

“A case has been registered at the Bhushan police station,” said Dhenkanal sub-divisonal police officer A.P. Swain.