Death toll in Telangana factory blast reaches 32; 27 missing
What's the story
The death toll in the explosion at Sigachi Industries's chemical factory in Sangareddy district, Telangana, has climbed to 32, with 27 workers still missing, IANS reported. The missing workers are feared to be trapped under the debris. The blast occurred on Monday morning between 8:15am and 9:35am at the Pashamylaram industrial area facility. The explosion flattened parts of the plant and triggered a massive fire, prompting a multi-agency emergency response that continued into Tuesday.
Ongoing efforts
Toll increased as more bodies were recovered
The Telangana health minister had initially said that 12 people died and 34 were under treatment. However, the toll increased as more bodies were recovered and some injured succumbed to their wounds. Fire department officials confirmed that five bodies were initially pulled from the rubble, which increased as rescue operations intensified. A fire alert was received at 9:37am, prompting a massive firefighting response with multiple fire engines deployed from various locations.
Emergency teams
Rescue operations underway
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDF), and firefighting robots were deployed for rescue operations. Inspector General V Satyanarayana said, "There was a blast at Sigachi Pharma... The police were informed within 10 minutes." He added that NDRF, SDF, and other rescue teams reached the spot quickly. The factory employed around 150 workers, with nearly 90 present in the affected section during the explosion.
Investigation launched
Telangana government orders probe into incident
On Monday, Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha told the media that the cause of the explosion remained unknown. The company, which is 40-45 years old, produces microcrystalline cellulose, he explained. According to Labour Minister G Vivek, it did not appear to be a reactor blast. The explosion and fire were suspected to be caused by a fault in the air dryer system. The Telangana government has ordered a probe into the incident.