A pharmaceutical manufacturing factory in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state exploded, killing at least 15 workers, according to a government official.
A fire broke out late Wednesday at the privately held Escientia Advanced Sciences’ 40-acre (16-hectare) manufacturing complex in the state’s Anakapalli district in India, prompting rescue operations.
“The death toll as of now is 15 and is likely to go up. Nearly 40 people have been injured. Rescue operations under way,” District Superintendent of Police M Deepika told the Reuters news agency.
The explosion occurred during lunchtime at the pharmaceutical factory, which began operations in 2019, according to district collector Vijaya Krishnan.
According to local media, the company makes intermediate compounds as well as active medicinal components.
“The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals… It appears that there could have been a blast at the chemical reactor,” his office told the press.
The state government has ordered an investigation into the incident.
“The workers who died or were injured do the most crucial and dangerous jobs,” L Srinivas Rao, a local politician, told The Indian Express newspaper.
An officer from the Atchutapuram police station in Anakapalli told the press that those injured or killed suffered extensive chemical burns, their “skin peeling off” as a result of the blast.
“It was horrible, heartbreaking. They were screaming before they lost consciousness,” M. Buchaiah said.
Six fire engines were sent to the location, and the National Disaster Response Force assisted with rescue attempts, according to India’s NDTV network.
Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, expressed regret at the workers’ deaths.
“The [chief minister] assured that the government will stand by the families of the workers who died,” his office said in a statement.
A similar disaster occurred at another pharmaceutical facility in Anakapalli district last year, killing two people and injuring five more.
