At least six people were killed and 11 injured after a fire broke out in a chemical factory in Akkireddygudem in Nizividu in Eluru district of Andhra Pradesh. A total of 17 people were working inside the factory when the accident was reported. The injured were shifted to Government General Hospital in Vijayawada, where the condition of five of them is stated to be critical.
The disaster occurred at Porus Laboratories plant in Akkireddygudem village of Musunuru mandal early Thursday morning, April 13, officials said. Five persons died on the spot, while another succumbed at a hospital. Four of the deceased hailed from Bihar.
Fire fighting personnel with the help of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) battled for nearly three hours to control the fire which broke out in unit-4 of the plant after a suspected gas leak.
Eluru district Collector V Prasanna Venkatesh, who visited the accident spot, ordered immediate shutdown of the Porus Laboratories unit pending a detailed investigation.
"We are investigating what led to the accident. Did high pressure cause the reactor to blow up, whether hazardous chemicals were being used we will probe all such aspects. We are also investigating if any rules were violated in the operation of the plant," Venkatesh told reporters.
Residents of Akkireddigudem staged a protest outside the plant, demanding that it be relocated from the village forthwith. The villagers alleged that the plant caused water and air pollution, making their life miserable.
"Even crops are not growing properly because of the pollution and we have been demanding for long that the plant be shifted from here," the protesting villagers said.
“The fire broke out suddenly. It looks like it was due to a chemical reaction. Two dead bodies have been recovered and four more are missing. The rest of them have been shifted to Vijayawada for better treatment. There were 17 people who were working in the shift when the fire broke out,” said Rahul Dev Sharma, Eluru SP.
Hyderabad-based Porus Laboratories, which is into manufacturing of pharmaceutical intermediates and specialty chemicals, has five units in different locations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Nuzividu MLA Meka Pratap Appa Rao, who visited the Porus unit, said it was an accident.
Andhra Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy condoled the death of people due to the explosion. The CM has announced ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to the kin of dead, Rs 5 lakh for the critically injured and Rs 2 lakh to those who sustained minor injuries.
Officials have been instructed to monitor the health of the injured and the SP (Superintendent of Police) and district collector have been directed to conduct a thorough investigation into the reason for the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to a mishap at a chemical unit in Eluru. He also prayed for quick recovery of the injured.
"Pained by the loss of lives due to a mishap at a chemical unit in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted quoting PM Modi.
Andhra Pradesh Governor Sri Harichandan expressed profound grief over the loss of lives and offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and wished for the speedy recovery of those injured in the accident.
With agency inputs