Tragic Explosion at Sigachi Pharma in Telangana: 8 Dead, 26 Injured

Sangareddy, Telangana, Jun 30 (PTI) - A tragic explosion at a pharmaceutical plant in Sangareddy district resulted in the deaths of eight people and left 26 others injured, officials reported. The explosion, suspected to be caused by a chemical reaction, occurred on Monday at a reactor in Sigachi Pharma Company's plant located in the Pashamylaram industrial estate, followed by a fire outbreak.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the loss of lives. Inspector General of Police (Multizone) V Satyanarayana stated that six bodies were recovered from the accident scene, while two individuals succumbed to their injuries in a hospital. Among the injured, two to three individuals are critically injured. According to factory sources, approximately 150 employees were present in the factory during the explosion, with about 90 in the vicinity where the blast took place.

The explosion happened between 9:28 am and 9:35 am, prompting management to immediately contact local police, who then alerted the fire department. Ten firefighting engines were deployed, and rescue operations included personnel from both the NDRF and SDRF. The fire was eventually brought under control, minimizing further damage.

Efforts were ongoing to rescue around 10 workers trapped inside a room. Determining the exact number of workers present at the time of the incident was still in progress, given that the person responsible for maintaining employee records is believed to have perished in the explosion.

Prime Minister Modi conveyed his grief over the tragedy on social media platform 'X', announcing an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy also expressed sorrow over the incident and instructed officials to employ all necessary measures to rescue trapped workers and provide advanced medical care, according to an official release.

Sigachi Industries Limited, as stated on its website, is a pharmaceutical company focused on innovations in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), Intermediates, Excipients, vitamin-mineral blends, and Operations and Management (O&M) services. The company has not issued an immediate response regarding the incident.