Death toll of Odisha workers in Telangana factory blast rises to nine

Bhubaneswar: The death toll of workers from Odisha in the explosion at the chemical factory in Telangana rose to nine, with authorities confirming the identity of one more person using DNA-based analysis, an officer said Saturday.

The latest victim of the factory blast was identified as Purna Chandra Sahu, a native of Sukarpada in Cuttack district, said Pritish Panda, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Directorate of Odisha Parivaar.

With his death, a total of nine people from Odisha were killed in the powerful blast at a pharmaceutical plant in Pashamylaram in Telangana’s Sangareddy district June 30.

Out of the nine deceased persons, three were from Ganjam district, two from Cuttack, another two from Nabarangpur and one each from Balasore and Jajpur districts, Panda said.

The bodies of all deceased persons have been handed over to their family members, he said.

Panda further said that four persons were injured in the blast of which two were discharged after treatment while another two are under treatment.

Among the injured persons, Samir Padhi from Ganjam district, who was in ICU with 35 per cent burn injuries, has been recovering fast and he is now brought out from the ICU, the officer said.

In total 14 persons from Odisha were affected by the major blast at the pharmaceutical plant in Pashamylaram.

On Friday, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of Odia workers who lost their lives in the explosion. The assistance will be provided from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF), the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

PTI

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