Seven persons were critically injured in a solvent reactor blast at a pharmaceutical company located in Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh, on Friday, June 30. Among those injured, four are said to be in a critical condition, after suffering 90% burns. According to the Superintendent of Police (SP) KV Murali Krishna, the blast occurred around 11.45 am at Sahiti Labs located in the Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which is located about 40 km from Visakhapatnam city. The SP stated that the fire has been brought under control and investigation has begun.
“Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire. The DD for Drug Control has been informed about the accident. According to the Inspector of Factories, there are no dangerous or toxic gases,” a statement from the SP’s office said.
Thirty-five people were present in the pharma company when the explosion occurred, but the majority of them managed to escape unharmed. The four persons who have been critically injured have been shifted to KIMS Hospital in Visakhapatnam. Two have been shifted to King George Hospital (KGH), and one has been transported to Star Zen Hospital in Atchutapuram.
During the Covid pandemic in 2020, Visakhapatnam witnessed one of the largest styrene vapour leak from a bulk storage tank. Twelve people died as a result of the accident,1,000 people were hospitalised, and livestock and vegetation were destroyed.
Several major and minor accidents have been occuring in the industrial areas, which highlight the need for industrial safety implementation. The Andhra Pradesh government issued new safety regulations to prevent accidental leaks of toxic gases and hazardous chemicals in factories in October the same year, but accidents continue to occur.