At least 13 killed and 34 injured in Telangana pharma plant explosion

At least 13 people died and 34 persons were injured on Monday in an explosion at the Sigachi Industries' pharma plant in Telangana's Sangareddy district.

About 90 people were working in the plant when the blast took place, reportedly due to a suspected chemical reaction, which also triggered a fire, health minister Damodara Raja Narasimha told reporters.

The explosion was so powerful that some of the workers were thrown nearly 100 metres away, eyewitnesses said.


The cause of the mishap would be known after examination by the technical experts, Narasimha, who visited the accident site along with state labour minister G Vivek Venkatswamy, told reporters.

Chief minister A Revanth Reddy directed officials to take all steps to save the trapped workers and provide them advanced medical care. The state government has also appointed a five-member committee headed by chief secretary Ramakrishna Rao to monitor the ongoing rescue efforts. The panel will also probe the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed condolences to those who lost their loved ones. He wished an early recovery to the injured.