The toll in the explosion at the Sigachi Industries' pharma plant in Telangana's Pashamylaram in Sangareddy district has risen to 34, a senior police official said on Tuesday, July 1. "Several bodies have been found under the debris while removing it. As many as 31 bodies have been extricated from the debris, while three died in hospital while undergoing treatment. The last leg of the rescue operation is still going on," District Superintendent of Police Paritosh Pankaj told PTI.
Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will visit the accident site on Tuesday morning. The reactor blast in a pharma factory ripped through the premises and engulfed the building, resulting in the collapse of the unit and a massive blaze. The incident had occurred at 8.15 am on Monday morning, prompting the rescue team, including fire tenders and ambulances, to rush to the spot.
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The explosion, originating from the Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) drying unit, also resulted in injuries to 35 workers, with 11 of them being critical. Officials report that 27 workers are still unaccounted for, feared trapped under the debris. The majority of the affected individuals were migrant workers hailing from states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha.
At the time of the explosion, 108 workers were present in the factory, with the blast being audible from a distance of 5 km. The explosion ignited a massive fire, necessitating the deployment of 15 fire engines to extinguish the flames. Due to the horrific condition of some victims, authorities are conducting DNA tests to identify the deceased.