T'gana factory blast toll rises to 37, management booked

The toll from the explosion that ripped through a pharmaceutical plant in Sangareddy district of Telangana rose to 37 by Tuesday evening, even as operations to rescue at least 20 more people continued for the second consecutive day.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

Chief minister A Revanth Reddy, who visited the site on Tuesday, sought a detailed report, while police registered an FIR against the management of the pharma plant.

According to Sangareddy district officials, 143 people were present at the unit at 9.20am, when an explosion took place, triggering a blaze and caving in a three-storey building. Of these 143, 58 managed to escape, while rescue operations are on to find 20 more. Most of the deceased were from Odisha, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana, they said.

A senior official involved in the rescue operations said 37 bodies have been recovered from the rubble so far, while another 35 are undergoing treatment. "At least 20 more employees who had reported for duty remain unaccounted for," the official said.