The death toll in Monday's explosion at a pharmaceutical plant in Telangana's Sangareddy district has risen to 34, as rescue workers continue to clear the debris from the devastated site.
District Superintendent of Police Paritosh Pankaj confirmed on Tuesday the number of people killed in the explosion at Sigachi Industries pharma plant in Pashamylaram. "Thirty-one bodies have been extricated from under the rubble, and three others succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment at hospital. The last leg of the rescue operation is still going on," he told news agency PTI.
The explosion, suspected to have been triggered by a chemical reaction inside a reactor, occurred between 8:15 am and 9:35 am on Monday, June 30. The resulting blast flattened the industrial shed, threw workers several feet, and sparked a massive fire that required a large-scale emergency response.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDF), local fire personnel, and police were deployed for rescue and firefighting operations. Two fire-fighting robots were also used during the efforts.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is scheduled to visit the site later today. Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha confirmed Revanth Reddy's visit and said the state government had mobilised all necessary resources.
Sigachi Industries Ltd. has temporarily suspended operations at the Sangareddy plant for 90 days, citing extensive damage to its manufacturing infrastructure. The company, according to its website, manufactures Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), intermediates, excipients, and provides operations and management services.
The state government has constituted a five-member committee to investigate the cause of the explosion and recommend safety measures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences and announced ex-gratia assistance for the victims' families.
This tragedy has once again raised concerns over industrial safety standards in the Sangareddy-Pashamylaram corridor, which has seen fatal industrial accidents in the past.