Visakhapatnam: In one of the worst industrial disasters in Andhra Pradesh, at least 18 persons were killed and 36 seriously injured as a reactor exploded at a pharmaceutical company in the Achyutapuram special economic zone in Anakapalli district Wednesday afternoon.
The blast took place at 2.40 pm when the staff were in the process of a change of shift and many were having their lunch.
Such was the intensity of the blast that the roof of the building and its walls collapsed. Body parts of the victims flew all around, some of these landing high on tree-tops.
Four cranes, 40 ambulances and 15 fire-fighters from Anakapalli and surrounding areas descended on the scene to manage the blaze, which was exacerbated by thick smoke that obstructed rescue efforts. A unit of the state disaster response force also rushed to the spot. Its personnel said they feared more workers could be still under debris of the collapsed building.
The pharmaceutical company was one of the largest in the SEZ. With over 1,000 employees, it produces multi-vitamin capsules.
The mishap scene was some 40km away from Visakhapatnam. The SEZ has seen numerous accidents in recent years, due mainly to safety lapses. Complaints are that safety audits were a farce due to corruption in the system.
Officials reported that the accident was caused by a reactor explosion, which followed a leak during the transfer of solvent oil between floors. They noted that human error in plant management and construction defects contributed to the incident.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu rushed principal health secretary Krishna Babu to oversee the arrangements at the hospital where the victims were admitted for treatment. Naidu spoke to district collector Vijaya Krishna and directed him to do the best to save the lives of the injured. If needed, he could requisition an air ambulance, the Chief Minister said.
Naidu assured all governmental support to the families of the deceased. He would visit the accident site around noon on Thursday.
Health secretary Krishna Babu later said all the 36 injured persons were being shifted to King George Hospital, where specialist doctors have been drawn in for the emergency treatment.
Suri Babu, an employee from the mishap site, said the blast happened when the staff was through a shift-change. The explosion occurred on the second floor, causing collapse of roof-top slabs, trapping numerous workers inside, he said.
The factory has a total of 381 permanent employees on duty a day, with 80 in the A shift and 60 in the B shift. It also employs casual workers.
Babu, who has worked there for three years, suffered from a broken leg. The 22-year-old Prabhat Yadav from Telangana was on a phone call when the building’s roof and walls collapsed in the reactor blast. He received a head injury, lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital hours later.
The families of the victims complained that the officials on the scene were not responding to their queries and withholding information.
The deceased whose bodies have been identified were Mohan Durga Prasad (20), chemist Harika (22), helper Y. Chinna Rao (32), plant AGM Sanyasinayudu, lab head Ram Reddy, production operator Parthasarathy, operators Mohan and Ganesh, staffer H Prashanth, M Narayana and P Rajasekhar. The bodies have been sent to NTR District Hospital for post-mortem.
Three injured were taken to the Pawan Sai Hospital in Achyutapuram. Officials said 11 others were receiving treatment at Anakapalli NTR Hospital, while nine were admitted to the Anakapalli Usha Prime Hospital. At night, however, all the patients were transferred to KGH Hospital in Visakhapatnam.
