A major fire and explosion ripped through a pharma unit here on Wednesday leaving 17 people dead and 33 injured. The damage could have been worse but due to lunchtime fewer workers were in the plant when the accident occurred.
Harrowing scenes unfolded with injured workers — their skin ripped and peeling off, bodies soaked in blood — being shifted to hospital in ambulances after the incident occurred at 2:15 pm at Escientia Advanced Science Pvt Ltd.
Anakapalli district collector Vijaya Krishnan said the fire was suspected to be electricity-related.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who will visit the site on Thursday, has ordered a high-level enquiry into the incident, promising stringent action against the management if its negligence was found to have caused the tragic incident.
The company, which manufactures intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) commenced production in April 2019 with an investment of Rs 200 crore. It is located on a 40-acre campus in the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation’s (APIIC) multi-product SEZ at the Atchutapuram cluster.
The collector told PTI that the factory operates with 381 employees in two shifts. “The fire occurred during lunchtime. Therefore, staff presence was less,” she said.