At least 36 people have died after an explosion erupted at a pharmaceutical factory in Telangana, India, according to Associated Press. The devastating blast happened at the Sigachi Industries chemical factory on Monday, June 30.
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Explosion at India Pharmaceutical Factory Leaves 36 Workers Dead
Not only did the fire department recover 34 charred bodies from the explosion site, but the accident also injured three dozen workers. The industrial site was around 31 miles from the state capital of Hyderabad, said the state’s fire services director G.V. Narayana Rao.
The director also confirmed that two other workers later died in the hospital. Rescue crews have since been continuing to remove debris to find any more trapped employees.
Rao described just how devastating the explosion was. “The whole structure of the factory has collapsed,” said Rao. “Fire has been doused, and we hope to finish removing the debris in the next few hours.”
The blast decimated the workers’ bodies so badly that it has made it difficult to identify them. Health and Medical Cabinet Minister of Telangana Damodar Raja Narasimha explained how they’ve had to identify the bodies.
“The condition of the bodies is such that we’ve had to deploy a specialised medical team to carry out DNA tests,” said Narasimha. The Health Minister also revealed that 108 workers were inside the factory when the explosion occurred.
According to P Pravinya, a district administrative official, they have yet to identify 25 of the deceased, per Al Jazeera. As for the injured individuals, they are all reportedly still recovering in the hospital.
Local witnesses claimed that they could hear the blast from several kilometers away from the site. This explosion disaster has left the community in unrest. There are now growing concerns about India’s industrial safety as its pharmaceutical sector grows.
India is one of the leading countries with the top pharmaceutical companies. According to AP News, Sigachi Industries Limited has five manufacturing facilities across India. The company deals with “active pharmaceutical ingredients” and “vitamin-mineral blends.”
Sigachi Industries made a statement on Monday to the Bombay Stock Exchange. It described the explosion as “unfortunate” and revealed the site was undergoing an assessment and investigation.