SRIKAKULAM: A chemist and two contract workers sustained severe burns in a blast at the manufacturing unit of Aurobindo Pharma Limited at Pydibheemavaram village in Ranasthalam mandal of Srikakulam district on Monday.
The factory management rushed the victims to the Seven Hills hospital in Visakhapatnam.
As per the information, the blast occurred in the G-block between 10.30 and 11 am on Monday, apparently owing to overheating of a reactor. Two contract workers of a group of labourers who were carrying out loading and unloading works and a chemist were injured, while the others managed to escape with minor injuries, it is learnt.
“There was a blast in the reactor in the G Block and the workers busy unloading the material received severe injuries,” said T Ammannaidu, a worker and labour union representative of the unit.
Kilari Suresh, a chemist of Govindapuram, Korada Chinna and Kondru Ramesh, two contract workers from Pusapatirega village of Pusapatirega mandal in Vizianagaram district are among the victims, said Ranasthalam SI Satyannarayana, adding that the factory management rushed the victims to Seven Hills Hospital in Visakhapatnam.
According to the media manager of the hospital, the three victims have sustained more than 90 per cent of burns and are undergoing treatment in the burns wing of the ICU. Repeated phone calls to the company authorities went unanswered.
Meanwhile, CITU activist T Govinda Rao demanded that the government must order a probe into the safety measures being followed at the manufacturing unit. A few months ago, a contract worker from Nellimarla, Sivangi Appalaraju was killed in a fire accident at the unit, Rao said. Police have registered a case and investigating, said SI Satyannarayana.