12 killed, 34 injured in massive explosion at Hyderabad chemical factory

Mail This Article
Telangana: Twelve people died and 34 others were injured in a massive reactor blast at an industrial unit in Pashamylaram near Hyderabad on Monday morning. The explosion occurred around 9 am at a chemical factory in the Sangareddy district, triggering a huge fire that engulfed the premises of Sigachi Chemicals.
State Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha said that about 90 people were working at the plant when the tragedy occurred, PTI reported.
Eleven fire engines were deployed to bring the blaze under control.
Police, fire services and other personnel launched rescue and relief operations, while ambulances rushed the injured to nearby government and private hospitals. Several injured workers are in critical condition.
According to onlookers, the impact of the explosion was so powerful that workers were tossed into the air and thrown several metres away. The manufacturing unit collapsed under the force of the blast, and flames quickly spread to an adjoining building within the factory premises.
Many of the workers at the unit were migrants from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and other states. Panic gripped employees inside the chemical plant and adjoining factories, with many fleeing the premises as the fire spread.
Rescue teams, using earthmovers, continued to clear debris amid fears that some workers could still be trapped under the collapsed structure.
(With IANS inputs)