NLC India said on Wednesday the death toll from a boiler blast at the lignite miner and electricity generator's plant in Tamil Nadu rose to 13. Two people injured in the blast have been discharged, a senior company official said.

The incident, which occurred last week when the unit was shut for maintenance, was the second deadly accident at the plant in two months. An independent committee and an internal probe have been launched to investigate the accident.

An accident at the same power station on May 7 killed five people and injured three. More than three people die and at least 46 are injured every day in industrial accidents in India, according to government data for the three years ended 2016.

Data showed that Tamil Nadu, where the NLC India plant is located, is the third-most dangerous state in the country to be a worker, behind heavily industrialised Maharashtra and Gujarat.

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The company said all four operational 210 MW units had been ordered to shut down for an immediate safety audit, and that the unit head of the plant had been suspended pending an inquiry by the two committees.