BHUBANESWAR: Two workers from Odisha have died in the massive explosion that completely brought down the Sigachi Industries Limited’s pharmaceutical factory at Pashamylaram industrial area in Sangareddy district of Telangana on Monday.
Four more Odia workers have been injured in the blast and are currently undergoing treatment at Pranaam Hospital in Madinaguda and Dhruva Hospital, Telangana.
The deceased were identified as Lagnajit Duari of Tigiria in Cuttack and Rajmala Jagamohan of Chatrapur in Ganjam district. The injured are Samir Padhi of Ganjam, Nilambar Bhadra of Nabarangpur, Chandan Kumar Nayak of Bhadrak and Chitasen Batra.
Of them, Samir sustained more than 35 per cent burn injuries and is admitted to the ICU. Chitrasen has been unconscious ever since he was rescued. Condition of the remaining two is stable, sources said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Telangana Health minister Damodar Rajanarasimha informed that there were around 90 workers in the factory when the incident took place.
Officer on special duty in the directorate of Odisha Paribar, Pritish Panda said with rescue operations are still underway at the explosion site, it is not clear if there are more Odia workers who have either been injured or killed in the blast. Many of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition and need DNA identification.
“It is believed that many workers from Odisha were employed in the chemical factory. We are yet to ascertain the exact number of the workers from the state because most of them had gone through private contractors. Since Chitrasen is unconscious, his native village is not known yet,” he added.
Panda along with another officer Chandra Sekhar Hota have been sent to Telangana by the Odisha government to coordinate the rescue operations for Odia workers. The bodies of Lagnajit and Jagamohan have been sent back to their homes and are expected to reach on Wednesday morning, they informed.
Taking to X, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and wished for the recovery of those injured. “Deeply saddened by the heartbreaking fire incident at a chemical factory in Telangana’s Sangareddy district. I pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannath for peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families in this hour of grief,” he wrote.
LoP Naveen Patnaik expressed grief at the tragic loss of lives at the chemical factory. “My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. Wishing speedy recovery to those who sustained injuries,” he tweeted.