A major explosion ignited a fire at a pharmaceutical plant in Anakapalle, Andhra Pradesh, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 workers, police confirmed on Thursday.
The death toll climbed from 15 after three of the 40 individuals injured in Wednesday’s fire within the plant’s chemical reactor succumbed to their injuries at the hospital on Thursday, according to police officer M. Deepika. She added that some of the remaining injured were in critical condition.
The Press Trust of India news agency reported disturbing scenes, noting that the skin of several workers had peeled off. Ambulances rushed them to the hospital for treatment.
Media reports suggest that officials suspect an electrical fault at the plant as the cause of the fire. State authorities have initiated an investigation into the incident.
The explosion occurred at the Escientia Company, located in the Anakapalle district. The plant, situated approximately 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Amaravati, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, manufactures intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Following news of the blast, hundreds of people from the families of workers flocked to the plant to seek information about their loved ones.
Around 380 employees work in two shifts at the plant. Many employees were able to escape as they were on their lunch break when the explosion triggered the fire.
The plant is situated in the state’s special economic zone at Atchutapuram village, which was established in 2009 and houses over 200 companies. Anakapalle is adjacent to the port city of Vishakhapatnam, a heavily industrialized area that has experienced numerous mishaps, including hazardous chemical leaks.
The region’s most significant industrial mishap occurred in 1997, when a blast at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation refinery in Visakhapatnam claimed the lives of 22 people.
Fires are a frequent occurrence in India, where builders and residents often disregard building regulations and safety standards. Some even fail to install firefighting equipment.
In 2019, a fire sparked by an electrical short circuit in a factory producing handbags and other items resulted in the deaths of 43 people.