Telangana Factory Blast: Death Toll Jumps To 34, Rescue Ops In Final Stage
The death toll in the horrific explosion at a chemical factory in Telangana’s Sangareddy district has tragically climbed to 34, officials confirmed on Tuesday morning. The number marks a significant increase from the initial toll of 12 reported after the blast ripped through the Sigachi Chemical Industry plant in the Pashamylaram industrial area on Monday.
Rescue operations by the NDRF and state disaster response teams are in their final stages, as personnel continue to sift through the debris of the collapsed factory structure. “Several bodies have been found under the debris while removing it. As many as 31 bodies have been extricated from the debris while three died in hospital while undergoing treatment,” district Superintendent of Police Paritosh Pankaj told PTI.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is expected to visit the accident site on Tuesday morning to take stock of the situation. He is also likely to meet with the injured who are undergoing treatment in various hospitals.
The powerful explosion, which occurred on Monday morning when around 90 employees were inside the plant, completely blew up the industrial shed. State Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, quoting eyewitnesses, said the force of the blast was so intense that some workers were thrown nearly 100 metres away from the site.
While a formal investigation into the exact cause is underway, officials suspect a reactor explosion during the chemical drying process triggered the devastating blast and subsequent fire. A high-level committee has been appointed by the Chief Minister to probe the incident.
Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma has expressed his grief over the tragedy and directed officials to extend all possible assistance to the victims. The Prime Minister’s Office has also announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from the PM’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for those injured in the accident.
