2 killed, several hurt in pharma unit explosion in Anakapalle district

ANAKAPALLE: Two persons were killed and five others suffered burn injuries when a reactor exploded inside the unit of Sahithi Pharma Private Limited in the Atchutapuram SEZ of Anakapalle district in Andhra Pradesh on Friday. The deceased were identified as P Satti Babu of Janaganapalle and U Tirupati of Vizianagaram district.

According to reports, at around 11:30 am, an explosion occurred in a reactor at unit-I of Sahiti Pharma Private Limited. A large number of workers were working in the factory at the time of the accident and thick smoke spread without any chance for the workers to escape. Upon obtaining the information, initially three fire brigades from Paravada and Anakapalle rushed to the spot. Rescue operations are underway as fire keeps spreading steadily across the factory.

The injured workers were shifted to King George Hospital (KGH) in Visakhapatnam. Minister for IT and Industries G Amarnath rushed to KGH and consoled the injured workers. A team of NDRF personnel rushed to the spot as the fire did not come into control, even after six hours of the incident. Unfortunately, three firefighters deployed on the duties also sustained injuries while dousing the flames. Currently, eleven fire brigades were roped in along with a foam fire extinguisher to bring down the huge fire.

Meanwhile, locals said that the explosion occurred in the reactor when several workers were working in the morning shift. Due to the explosion, the inflammatory chemicals were set ablaze and a massive fire soon engulfed the factory. Thick black smoke billowed from the factory causing consternation among the residents in the neighborhood. Collector P Ravi Subhash and Yelamanchilli MLA Kanna Babu Raju reached the spot and inspected the unit-I of Sahithi Pharma Private Limited.

Reacting on the incident, Anakapalle superintendent of Police Murali Krishna acknowledged that a reactor had exploded in the Sahiti Pharma Private Limited. As many as 35 workers were on duty at the time of the explosion in the reactor. Among them, 28 workers ran out of the unit after noticing the fire. “After going through the accident spot, a case will be registered and investigation will be carried out to ascertain the facts and determine whether there is any negligence on the part of the management,” the SP said.