13 killed in explosion at Andhra pharma company
Visakhapatnam: 13 people were killed and 33 injured in a massive fire that broke out at the Asientia Advanced Sciences Pvt Ltd factory in Achutapuram SEZ of Rambilli mandal in Anakapalle district on Wednesday afternoon. At the time of the fire, there were fewer workers at the plant due to lunch break, but the damage could have been even bigger.
According to initial reports, the fire was caused by a reactor explosion at the factory. The critically injured were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals in Anakapalle and Achutapuram for treatment.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to use air ambulance services if necessary to evacuate the injured persons from the accident site for better treatment.
The Chief Minister, who is scheduled to visit the multi-product special economic zone (SEZ) where the accident occurred, said air ambulance services could be used to move patients to Visakhapatnam or Hyderabad for better medical care.
An official press release said, “The Chief Minister directed the officials to use air ambulance services to shift the injured persons if necessary. He also directed the Health Secretary to visit the accident site immediately.” The Chief Minister will visit the accident site on Thursday and meet the families of the deceased as well as those seriously injured. Besides, he ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident and said that if the tragic incident took place due to negligence of the management, strict action will be taken against them. Addressing the media, Labour, Factories, Boilers and Insurance Medical Services Minister Vasamsetty Subhash said, “The District Collector and other officials are at the spot and are ensuring that the injured are shifted to hospitals and rescue operations are carried out effectively. Due to the thick smoke in the factory, the exact number of casualties apart from the three deaths identified so far is yet to be confirmed. We are also working to ascertain the total number of employees present at the site at the time of the accident.” Investigations are underway to ascertain whether the accident was caused due to negligence on the part of the factory authorities or due to lack of adequate fire safety measures.
Responding to the incident, Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha summoned the Anakapalle District Collector and asked officials to ensure that the injured receive proper medical attention and all necessary measures are taken to
