The explosion occurred during the lunch break at pharmaceutical company Escientia at the Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone. A huge fire broke out following the explosion in the company premises during lunch break, officials said. There was panic among workers, who ran out for safety.
Fourteen workers were killed and 50 others injured in a reactor explosion in a pharmaceutical company in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalle district on Wednesday, officials said.
The explosion occurred during the lunch break at Escientia at Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone near Visakhapatnam. A huge fire broke out following the explosion in the company premises, officials said. There was panic among workers, who ran out for safety.
VIDEO | Visuals from outside a chemical factory in the Special Economic Zone in the Rambilli Mandal of Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalle, where a blast left several workers injured earlier today. pic.twitter.com/dQ6YpOTnuu
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A dozen fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the fire. Initially, there were reports of seven deaths. However, the toll later rose sharply as the bodies of at least seven workers were found under rubble. Nine of the deceased were identified as plant AGM V. Satyanarayana, lab head Rami Reddy, chemist Harika, Parthasarthi, Y. Chinna Rao, P. Rajasekhar, Mohan, Ganesh, H. Prashanth and M. Narayan Rao.
Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire services personnel, and police rescued the workers trapped on the third floor of the building. The injured were shifted to various hospitals in Anakapalle and Visakhapatnam. Officials said the death toll may go up as the condition of some of the injured was critical.
