Death toll in Telangana pharma unit blast mounts to 36 (Lead)

Hyderabad, July 1 (IANS) The death toll in the explosion in a pharmaceutical unit at Pashamylaram near Hyderabad mounted to 36 on Tuesday.

With some of the injured succumbing at hospitals and rescue workers recovering more bodies from debris, the death toll rose sharply since Monday.

The toll in the worst industrial disaster in Telangana may go up further as the rescue workers continued searches for the bodies in the debris of a three-storey building which collapsed under the impact of the blast.

A massive explosion had rocked Sigachi Industries Limited's pharmaceutical factory at Pashamylaram industrial area in Sangareddy district, about 50 km from Hyderabad, on Monday morning.

The explosion in the Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) drying unit also left more than 30 workers injured. The condition of some of them is stated to be critical.

Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), Revenue and police continued clearing debris.

The majority of the victims were migrant workers from states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.

As many as 108 workers were at the factory at the time of the blast, which could be heard about five km away. The explosion triggered a huge fire, and 15 fire engines were used to douse the flames.

According to eye-witnesses, such was the impact of the explosion that workers were tossed in the air and fell several metres away.

So far, four deceased have been identified as Jaganmohan, Ram Singh, Shashibhushan Kumar and Laganjeet.

As the bodies of some victims were blown to pieces or charred beyond recognition, the authorities were conducting DNA tests to establish their identity.

Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha and Labour Minister G. Vivek visited the accident site again on Tuesday morning.

Director General of Police Jitender and senior officials also visited the spot and supervised the rescue and relief operation.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will be visiting the accident site later in the day. He will also call on the injured at a government hospital.

The state government appointed a high-powered committee to probe the disaster and its underlying causes.

The committee comprises the Chief Secretary, Special Chief Secretary (Disaster Management), Principal Secretary (Labour), Principal Secretary (Health) and Additional DGP (Fire Services).

According to the Chief Minister's Office, the panel would also make recommendations to prevent the recurrence of such accidents.

--IANS

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