New Delhi, July 01, 2023: Two workers were killed, and five others grievously injured after a blast at a pharma company in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalli district on Friday, police said.
“There were at least 35 workers on duty when a chemical reactor at Sahithi Pharma Private Limited exploded … 28 of them managed to come out immediately,” Anakapalli superintendent of police KV Murali Krishna told reporters.
The incident took place in Unit-1 of the company located at Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam on Friday afternoon.
According to police, the blast took place because of mishandling of the chemical reactor by a worker. The entire unit was engulfed in flames within minutes and as many as 11 fire tenders pressed into service to douse the fire, police said.
According to the reports published in hindustantimes.com Police from Atchutapuram and Rambilli police stations reached the site and supervised the rescue operations, police said, adding that teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were also deployed to evacuate people from the adjacent unit.
Seven workers, who were injured in the accident, were taken to Visakhapatnam’s King George Hospital, where two of them – Paila Satti Babu and Uppada Tirupati succumbed to their injuries during treatment, the SP said.
The injured were identified as Ramesh (45), Nuki Naidu (40), Raju Babu (25), Appa Rao (43), Pilla Santosh Kumar (30). Their condition is said to be stable, the SP said.
State industries minister Gudivada Amarnath visited the hospital and checked on the accident victims, officials said, adding that he spoke to the authorities asking them to ensure that the injured get the best possible treatment.
