Death toll rises to 41 in Telangana pharma unit blast

Hyderabad, July 6 (IANS) The death toll in the fire and explosion at Sigachi Industries Ltd's manufacturing unit in Pashamylaram near Hyderabad rose to 41 on Sunday.

One of the injured workers, Jitender, succumbed at Dhruva Hospital in Patancheru.

Another injured had succumbed at the same hospital on Saturday. He was identified as Manmohan Singh, a native of Bihar.

Officials said nine workers are still reported missing. Rescue teams continued clearing debris.

A major explosion occurred in the manufacturing plant of Sigachi Industries at Pashamylaram, Patancheru Mandal, Sangareddy district on June 30.

The plant manufactures Microcrystalline Cellulose powder, which is used in tablets and capsules as a binding agent.

The accident also left 33 workers injured, of whom 12 have been discharged. The remaining are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

Rescue teams found 30 pieces of human remains at the site, and they were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Hyderabad, for DNA analysis.

According to officials at Patancheru Government Hospital, of the 24 DNA samples collected so far, 22 bodies have been identified and handed over to their families.

The deceased hailed from Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Authorities are sending the bodies in ambulances to their native places with police escort. The police constables are accompanying each body.

Personnel from Fire Services, SDRF, HYDRAA and police continued combing through the debris for human remains. Officials said they will continue the operation till they find all remains.

According to officials, out of 143 people who were in the factory premises at the time of the blast, 61 came out safely.

Sigachi Industries has announced Rs 1 crore compensation each to the families of the deceased. It also announced that it would bear all the expenditure towards the treatment of the injured and provide them with all the support.

The company stated that an investigation is ongoing, led by the Chief Secretary to the Government of Telangana for review and investigation of the incident and its underlying causes.

The high-powered committee headed by the Chief Secretary visited the accident site on July 4.

The state committee has been asked to probe the disaster and its underlying causes. It comprises the Chief Secretary, Special Chief Secretary (Disaster Management), Principal Secretary (Labour), Principal Secretary (Health) and Additional DGP (Fire Services).

The state government also constituted a four-member expert committee. The committee, to be headed by B. Venkateshwar Rao, Emeritus Scientists, CSIR-IICT, will identify the causes and establish reasons and events that led to the major explosion.

--IANS

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