Telangana: 12 Workers Killed in Reactor Blast, 34 Injured And Several More Feared Trapped

Hyderabad: Twelve workers were killed and 34 others have been shifted to hospitals with severe burn injuries following a massive reactor explosion and resulting fire on Monday (June 30) at a pharmaceutical unit in the industrial park at Pashamylaram, about two hours drive from Hyderabad.

The blast ripped through a two-storied building housing the production unit of Sigachi Industries, a listed company, around 9:10 AM. While five workers were killed on the spot, seven others succumbed to injuries during treatment at nearby private hospitals.

As many as 108 workers were said to be on duty during the incident. Many of them fell helter-skelter several metres away as the building came crashing down. Some more workers are feared trapped under the debris.

A top executive of the company who had walked into the unit just minutes ago was among the deceased, sources said. His car, parked close by, was badly damaged.

Sigachi Industries is engaged in the manufacture of microcrystalline cellulose powder which is used as an anti-caking agent. It has identified itself on the website as a leader in the field of pharma excipients, nutra and food ingredients. The company's shares fell by 15% after the incident. 

According to an eyewitness who works as an operator at the paper cutting unit, the blast occurred in one of the two reactors at the unit around 9:10 AM. He said he had just then finished his breakfast and joined duty when he was shaken by a deafening noise. 

At first, he said, he felt it was like a bomb blast. Soon, there was a huge fire in the ground plus two floors of the building. Some workers were flung from the second floor under its impact. The devastating fire in the building led to smoke engulfing the entire campus.

Five hours after the blast, the witness said, he was yet to trace his relative Samir Padi who was also an operator. He added that he found several dismembered bodies at the site.

Blast in the reactor of a pharmaceutical unit in Pashamailaram, Telangana. Photo: By special arrangement

Though the cause of the accident was not known, officials expected it may have been on account of pressure buildup in the reactor. The company has engaged workers from Odisha, West Bengal, BIhar, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, as well as locals in three shifts at the huge plant. They were employed by three contractors on a daily basis.

Tension gripped the area as relatives of the workers stormed the plant to know the fate of their dear ones. A scuffle ensued between them and the police which was deployed in large numbers. Frantic calls by them to the cell phones of the trapped workers went unanswered and this panicked them all the more. Some phones of workers were also deposited in the administrative building which also bore the brunt of the explosion. Since the attendance registers and other records were burnt by the fire, the identity of the victims could not be established immediately.  

Eleven fire tenders battled the flames and personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) joined the rescue operation in a bid to clear the debris and look for the victims.

As the whole area reeked with a pungent smell, state labour minister G. Vivek Venkatswamy and health minister Damodar Rajanarasimha rushed to oversee rescue work.

Bharat Rashtra Samiti MLA T. Harish Rao who was also present said this was the third accident in the industrial park in the past one year. He blamed the government for botching up the golden hour to shift the injured to hospitals by delaying it.

Vivek Venkatswamy told media persons that the plant was functioning for four decades. He counselled Harish Rao not to politicise the issue in this hour of tragedy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X to express his condolence and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, chief minister A. Revanth Reddy, leader of opposition K. Chandrasekhar Rao, YSR Congress president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan have also expressed condolences.

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