Five employees of a pharmaceutical company were killed in an explosion in Telangana's Sangareddy district on Wednesday, April 3. The company’s co-director, D Ravi, is also among the deceased in the fire. The incident occurred at SB Organics Ltd at Chandapur village in Hatnoora mandal of the district.

The fire broke out at the factory after a chemical reactor exploded. One of the structures at the industrial complex also collapsed under the impact of the explosion. Four deceased workers were said to be from Bihar. The death toll is feared to go up.

Sixteen others were injured and taken to a nearby hospital. Fire tenders rushed to the scene and were trying to douse the fire. Sangareddy Superintendent of Police Rupesh and other officials visited the spot.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has expressed grief over the accident at the chemical plant. He directed Director General Fire Service Nagi Reddy to rush to the spot and supervise rescue and relief operations. He also asked the district Collector and SP to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.

Konda Surekha, Minister of Environment and Forest of Telangana, said that the government will ensure that the company pays compensation to the victims. However, she added that the government cannot offer compensation or ex-gratia due to the Model Code of Conduct being in place for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections but they will aid the families after the elections are over. 

With inputs from IANS