30 workers suffer injuries with many crushed or trapped under the debris amid chaos of explosion. Rescue work under way at the site with teams combing the debris for survivors and victims. Official inquiry on to determine the cause of the disaster; suspects explosion of air handling unit.
As many as 17 persons were killed and 30 injured when a massive explosion ripped through a pharmaceutical unit of Sigachi Industries at Pashamylaram near Hyderabad on Monday morning.
Most of the workers employed at the unit are migrants from Bihar and West Bengal. One of them had said the factory had 12-hour work shifts from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
At the time of the blast, around 80 workers were believed to be working in the production unit.
“Five of the persons were charred in the fire,” said Damodar Singh, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Deputy Commander. Officials indicated that, while the blast caused the initial devastation, many lives were lost due to the subsequent collapse of the building.
“DNA testing has been ordered to identify the deceased, whose bodies were charred beyond recognition,” said Paritosh Pankaj, Sangareddy Superintendent of Police.
A majority of the victims were trapped under the production unit housing the reactor when it collapsed.
The Fire Control Room received the distress call shortly before 9.37 a.m., after which 15 fire tenders, including robots, hazmats, and multipurpose vehicles were deployed.
Rescue efforts
Vehicles were rushed from as far as Secunderabad (40 km away) and Rajendranagar fire stations (45 km). Rescue efforts continued late into the evening, with teams carefully combing through the debris for any survivors or victims.
Rescue teams, including the Fire Department, NDRF, and local police, managed to pull out 30 individuals alive from the debris, many of whom suffered severe burns and other critical injuries.
An official inquiry is under way to determine the exact cause of the disaster.
Panic and fear gripped the industrial belt of Pashamylaram as plumes of smoke, the wail of sirens, and a stream of ambulances and emergency vehicles descended upon the site of the deadly explosion.
The air near the blast zone hung thick and heavy, difficult to breathe as one approached the shattered remains of Sigachi Industries.
The window panes of nearby offices were shattered in the blast.
Initially all of the injured individuals were rushed to Kakatiya Hospital, located 3.8 km from the blast site.
From there, depending on the severity they were shifted to Dhruva Hospital, Pranam Hospital, Archana Hospital, Star Hospital, Yashoda Hospital in Madhapur, and Panacea Meridian Hospital near Beeramguda.
DNA testings ordered
Sangareddy Superintendent of Police Paritosh Pankaj confirmed that 15 deaths have been officially recorded, although more casualties may lie beneath the rubble.
“DNA testing has been ordered to identify the deceased, whose bodies were charred beyond recognition,” said the SP.
In the aftermath, police cordoned off a 500-metre radius around the site to keep onlookers and local residents at bay. The sudden influx of emergency personnel and the persistent smell of chemicals in the air left the neighbourhood in a state of alarm.
Director of Factories Rajagopal Rao said that the unit was engaged in the manufacture of Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC), a white, odourless, tasteless powder derived from wood pulp.
“It is widely used as a binding agent in tablets and in various industries including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food. While not inherently hazardous, officials are investigating the possibility that pressure build-up in the air-handling line may have caused the blast. Preliminary assessments suggest that the air handling unit may have exploded,” explained the officer.
