2 killed, 6 injured in Andhra Pradesh chemical factory blast

Amaravati/Kakinada: Two workers were killed, and four others seriously injured in a reactor blast in a bulk drug manufacturing unit near Kakinada city in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.

The injured, one of whom was said to be in a critical condition, have been shifted to a private hospital in Kakinada from a government hospital for better treatment, police sources said. The blast occurred around 3.15 pm during routine operations at Tyche Industries located at Sarpavaram village.

Deputy Chief Minister (Health) A K K Srinivas, who enquired about the incident, directed the Medical and Health Department officials to ensure better medicare to the injured workers. He extended condolences to the bereaved families. Excessive heat generated while two chemicals were being mixed in the reactor led to the fire and the blast, the case investigating officer Srirama Koteswara Rao said over phone from Kakinada.

As it was Maha Sivaratri festival day, there was only a skeletal staff on duty.

The deceased have been identified as K Subrahmanyam (31) and T Venkata Ramana (37). All the victims were working as operators in the unit. The blast also resulted in a fire in the unit but personnel from the Emergency Response and Fire Services Department from Kakinada swung into action and put the blaze out.

Agriculture Minister K Kanna Babu, under whose constituency the chemical factory falls, visited the accident spot and supervised the rescue operation.

He enquired about the safety systems in place at the unit. District Collector Muralidhar Reddy and Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi also visited the blast site and later the hospital to inquire about the incident. State Industries Minister M Goutham Reddy, expressing grief over the incident, directed the department officials to submit a report on what led to the mishap and if all safety protocols were adhered to.

He also asked the official machinery to be on alert in view of the onset of summer and take adequate precautionary measures in all pharmaceutical and chemical factories. He warned that any management lapse would be viewed seriously, and appropriate action initiated.