KAKINADA: Two supervisors of a private bulk drug chemical industry at Autonagar near Sarpavaram village were killed and four others suffered injuries when a chemical tanker exploded reportedly due to excessive heat, on Thursday afternoon.
The blast took place in Tyche bulk drug chemical industry on the outskirts of Kakinada. According to Kakinada DSP V Bhima Rao, the workers were doing maintenance works at the chemical tanker having 2,500 litres capacity when it exploded. The blast ripped off the walls and the victims flung into air. The explosion created panic among the people of neighbouring residential areas.
In the preliminary inquiry, officials said Nitro Pheronite, a mixture of nitric acid and N Hydrate, was stored in the tank and it might have exploded due to excessive heat. It is alleged that the industry management tried to shift the bodies without informing the police but locals alerted the cops. Sarpavaram police along with fire services personnel rushed to the spot and inspected the area. “There was no fire and it was just a blast. Our fire workers took precautions wearing gas masks and entered the premises,’’ district fire officer Ch Ratna Babu said.
Two supervisors — Kakarla Subrahmanyam (31) of Patavala village in Tallarevu mandal and Thotakura Venkata Ramana (37) of AK Mallavaram village in Gollaprolu mandal — died instantly. Four others were injured and rushed to a nearby private hospital for treatment.
The DSP said that Tyche industry has all the required permissions. Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu visited the spot and vented ire on the company management for trying to shift the bodies before the police reached the place. Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy asked the department officials and district administration to submit a report on the reasons for the mishap.
The minister instructed industry department officials to take precautionary measures at industries, particularly pharma and chemical, in view of the possibility of increase in temperatures with the onset of summer. Goutham Reddy asked the officials to prepare guidelines on this and ensure that no worker is exposed to dangers.
Labour Minister Gummanur Jayaram spoke to minister Kannababu and Collector D Muralidhar Reddy over phone and enquired about the incident. He sought a report from the labour department officials and said action would be initiated against those responsible for the mishap. The Tyche Industries Ltd was established in 2010 at Autonagar in Kakinada and is a leading industry supplying pharmaceutical and chemical products. Tyche has its plant at Tanuku also.
Official sources said the people of Sarpavaram and Bhavannarayanapuram complained of release of gas from the industry to officials earlier. Kakinada DSP Bhima Rao said a case will be registered.