At least 15 laborers were injured, seven of them seriously, when a fire broke out in an oil mill following an explosion in an oil tank on Hisar-Tohana road near here today, the police said.

The explosion in the oil tank took place following a leakage in the boiler, they said. It took five hours for fire brigade personnel from Hisar, Tohana, Barwala and Narwana to extinguish the fire. The impact was so powerful that the roof and walls of the mill crumbled and it soon turned into a heap of debris. All the injured were shifted to Hisar and were admitted to different  hospitals.

Seven persons —  Bhim Raj, Pankaj Ram, Suresh, Ganesh, Rahul,Ramesh and Narender received burn injuries ranging from 90 per cent to 100 per cent, police said. Their condition is stated to be the critical, said police. Eight labourers received 30 per cent to 80 per cent burn injuries and have been admitted to private hospitals in Hisar. The police chief of Hisar district, Manisha Chaudhary visited the spot and hospitals to take stock of the situation.