SANGAREDDY : At least five persons have died while 25 others sustained injuries in the fire from a reactor blast at a chemical factory in Chandapur village of Hatnura mandal on Wednesday. The firm’s director was among those killed.
Eyewitnesses said a few buildings around the SB Organics unit also suffered damage due to the impact of the explosion. Sources said the explosion took place around 4 pm and the fire spread quickly. Fire tenders from Patancheru and Sangareddy, among others, have been deployed.
The deceased have been identified as director Ravi Sharma, product managers Subramanayam and Dayanand, and maintenance employee Suresh while the other body is yet to be identified.
Sources said that many other persons are suspected of being trapped under the wreckage. Officials are also supervising the removal of debris and rescue of individuals at the site. It is expected to continue till Thursday morning.
Extending condolences to the bereaved families, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy termed the incident “shocking” and instructed officials to speed up rescue operations at the site.
As per the preliminary probe, District Collector Valluru Kranthi said the blast occurred due to the overheating of the reactor.
Residents evacuated from nearby buildings
Meanwhile, the officials cleared the other reactor in the factory and ordered the inhabitants of nearby buildings to vacate their premises as a precautionary measure.
The sources said a large portion of the factory, along with equipment and raw materials, was destroyed in the fire. Learning of the incident, district in-charge minister Konda Surekha rushed to the spot and instructed officials to extend all required assistance to the injured persons.
Later in the evening, collector Kranthi visited the spot and said that those who sustained grievous injuries were being shifted to the Nizam’s Institute Of Medical Sciences (NIMS) and Care Hospital in Hyderabad. The final report in the case is awaited, the collector added.