An explosion at a pharmaceutical plant in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh has killed at least 17 people, according to a government official.
Nearly 40 people were injured, state’s Industries Secretary N Yuvaraj told the Reuters news agency on Thursday, adding the rescue operation was completed.
A fire broke out following the blast on Wednesday at the privately held Escientia Advanced Sciences’s 40-acre (16-hectare) manufacturing unit in the Anakapalli district.
The incident took place during lunchtime at the factory, which began operating in 2019, said District Collector Vijaya Krishnan. Some 380 employees work two shifts at the plant. Many workers escaped unhurt because they were on lunch break.
The company manufactures intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients, local media reports said.
Secretary Yuvaraj said the initial investigation showed “there was some vapour leak that led to chemical reactions, which caused the explosion”.
The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Officials said they were scanning security camera footage and questioning the injured to decide if human error was responsible for the blast.
“The workers who died or were injured do the most crucial and dangerous jobs,” L Srinivas Rao, a local politician, told The Indian Express newspaper.
An officer from Atchutapuram police station in Anakapalli told the newspaper that those injured or killed suffered extensive chemical burns, their “skin peeling off” as a result of the blast.
“It was horrible, heartbreaking. They were screaming before they lost consciousness,” M Buchaiah said.
The plant is in the state’s special economic zone at Atchutapuram village, which was established in 2009 with more than 200 companies.
Six fire engines were deployed to the scene, with the National Disaster Response Force also aiding rescue efforts, broadcaster NDTV reported.
Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the workers killed. In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered condolences to the relatives of the dead.
Last year, two people were killed and five others injured in a similar accident at another pharma factory in Anakapalli.
