At Least 12 Killed in T'gana Pharma Plant Explosion

A reactor malfunction suspected to have caused the blast.

- Raj Kiran Bathula & Agencies

Twelve people were killed in a massive explosion at Sigachi Chemical Industries located in Pashamylaram in Telangana's Sangareddy district. According to officials, 34 people were injured and they were rushed to hospitals.

The blast occurred in the reactor unit, bursting out a massive fire. Flames spread rapidly, leading to partial structural collapse. Eleven fire tenders battled the blaze for hours, while ambulance and rescue teams evacuated injured workers.

The explosion is suspected to stem from a reactor malfunction during chemical processing. Authorities have launched an investigation, and safety audits are expected across similar facilities in the area.

In the afternoon, Satyanarayana, IG of Multi-Zone 1, reached the spot and while talking to the media, he said the incident occurred due to a reactor explosion. At the time of the incident, there were reportedly around 90 people working in the shift.

Experts are inspecting the site, and the entire district machinery is present on-site. All necessary steps are being taken to provide full assistance to the victims.

Health Minister Damodara Raja Narasimha, who visited the accident site along with state Labour Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy, said the cause of the mishap would be known after examination by the technical experts. The explosion was so powerful that some of the workers were thrown nearly 100 meters away, eyewitnesses said.