Telangana pharma blast: At least 13 dead, 34 injured; five-member panel, experts to probe incident

At least 13 people died and 34 persons were injured on Monday in an explosion at the Sigachi Industries’ pharma plant in Telangana’s Sangareddy district.

About 90 people were working in the plant when the blast took place, reportedly due to a suspected chemical reaction, which also triggered a fire, Health Minister Damodara Raja Narasimha told reporters.

Later in the evening, a police official told PTI that another body was extricated from the debris, bringing the total number of deaths to 13.

“Eleven bodies were recovered from the blast site and two people died while undergoing treatment at a hospital,” the official said.

The explosion was so powerful that some of the workers were thrown nearly 100 metres away, eyewitnesses said.

The cause of the mishap would be known after examination by the technical experts, Narasimha, who visited the accident site along with state Labour Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy, told reporters.

Venkatswamy said 12 of the 34 injured people were critical and put on ventilator support in the hospitals. The respiratory system of these victims is under stress due to the burn injuries, he said.

The government is hopeful that the remaining 22 people will recover soon, he added.

Expressing grief over the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the incident. He wished an early recovery to the injured.

In a post on ‘X’, he announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

The company said it deeply mourns the loss of lives and extends heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. Asserting that the unit was fully insured, the firm assured all possible support to those affected.

Sigachi Industries also said production at its Hyderabad plant would be paused for around 90 days to restore affected equipment and structures.

In addition to the human impact, the incident also caused damage to certain ancillary equipment and civil structures within the facility, it said in a regulatory filing.

Y Nagi Reddy, Director General of the Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services, said it was suspected that the blast occurred in the drying unit of the plant. However, Inspector General of Police (Multizone) V Satyanarayana told reporters that it was a case of reactor explosion.

“Industrial experts are saying that during the drying process, or a handling process, the pressure could have built up, followed by the blasting of the material that led to the blasting of the entire building,” Reddy told reporters.

He said efforts were also on to search and rescue those trapped in the collapsed three-story building.

Satyanarayana said the impact of the blast was felt for about five km in the Pashamylaram area.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed anguish over the incident and directed officials to take all steps to save the trapped workers and provide them advanced medical care, an official release said.

Meanwhile, the state government has also appointed a five-member committee headed by Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao to monitor the ongoing rescue efforts in the blast incident. The panel will also probe the incident.

Venkatswamy said the person in charge of the factory also lost his life in the accident, and “there is nobody from the factory side to give us really what happened.”

After the incident, the district Collector and Superintendent of Police reached the spot within 30 minutes, he said.

He said a good ex gratia amount would be ensured to the kin of the deceased, and the government would also consider interim help to the affected families.

He said DNA tests were being conducted in hospitals to identify some of the deceased.

At least half a dozen bodies need to undergo DNA profiling to establish the identity, as they were charred beyond recognition, a Revenue Department official said.

Sigachi Industries Limited is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to pioneering advancements in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), Intermediates, Excipients, vitamin-mineral blends, and Operations and Management (O&M) services, according to the company’s website.

Earlier, IGP (Multizone) Satyanarayana, quoting factory sources, said there were 150 people in the factory at the time of the blast, and 90 people were in the same area where the explosion occurred. He said the explosion occurred between 9.28 am and 9.35 am.

About ten firefighting engines were pressed into service, he said, adding the personnel of NDRF and SDRF were also engaged in the rescue operation.

(Only the headline has been reworked by India.com staff. Copy comes from an agency feed)

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