Telangana pharma plant blast: Death toll rises to 34 in explosion at Sigachi Industries, rescue ops underway

The death toll in the explosion at the Sigachi Industries' pharma plant in Pashamylaram, Telangana, rose to 34.

"Several bodies have been found under the debris while removing it. As many as 31 bodies have been extricated from the debris while three died in hospital while undergoing treatment. The last leg of the rescue operation is still going on," district Superintendent of Police Paritosh Pankaj told PTI.

Health Minister Damodara Raja Narasimha told the media that around 90 people were working in the plant when the accident happened, reportedly due to a suspected chemical reaction, which also triggered a fire.  The explosion was so powerful that some of the workers were thrown nearly 100 metres away, eyewitnesses said.

The cause of the mishap, which occurred between 9.28 am and 9.35 am on June 30,  would be known after examination by the technical experts, the minister added.

Sigachi Industries Limited is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to pioneering advancements in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), Intermediates, Excipients, vitamin-mineral blends, and Operations and Management (O&M) services, according to the company's website.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is expected to visit the accident today.

The state government has appointed a five-member committee headed by Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao to probe the blast. The committee has also been tasked with recommending measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

The committee includes the Special Chief Secretary for Disaster Management, Principal Secretary of the Labour Department, Health Secretary, and Additional Director General of Fire Services.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the incident. He wished an early recovery to the injured.

In a post on 'X', he announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured.

Sigachi Industries said production at its Hyderabad plant would be paused for around 90 days to restore affected equipment and structures. In a regulatory filing, it said the incident also caused damage to certain ancillary equipment and civil structures within the facility.

With inputs from PTI