An explosion in the Escientia pharma unit in Atchutapuram of Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalle had claimed the lives of at least seven workers, reports said. Many others have suffered burn injuries in the blast that happened on Wednesday afternoon.
Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a pharmaceutical hub and a fire breakout at the Escientia pharma unit which triggered the explosion. The tragedy was caused when a reactor blew up during the lunch break, Indian Express said in a report. Escientia is one of the biggest companies operating from the SEZ and has over a thousand employees.
The daily identified two of the deceased workers as Pudi Mohan and N Harika, both native to Rambilli Mandal.
Anakapalli District Collector Vijaya Krishnan told the press that the accident occurred around 2:00 pm. While the severely injured were rushed to hospitals in Visakhapatnam, some others were admitted to the Anakapalli NTR District Hospital.
Thick smoke caused by the fire hampered rescue efforts at the facility even though over a dozen fire and rescue units were rushed to the spot. Among the survivors were 13 people who were trapped inside the facility following the fire.
Officials suspect that the cause of the fire was electricity-related.
More details are awaited.