Telangana factory blast: Sigachi accident deadliest to hit India's pharma sector in 100 years; NDRF terms it 'most challenging'
Such was the impact of the blast that it not only knocked down the factory but also resulted in damages to factories located next door, including shattered glass, industry sources said.
Till Monday, the blast and fire at Escientia Bio Pharma Ltd's factory at Anakapalli in Andhra Pradesh (AP) on August 21, 2024, which left 17 people dead, was counted as the worst incident to have hit the industry. In 2023, a blast had rocked the Atchutapuram plant of Sahiti Pharma in AP and left behind seven fatalities.
In Dec 2022, four employees had died at Laurus Labs' facility at Visakhapatnam.
"In my 35 years of experience as a regulator as well as former director general of Pharmexcil (Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India), I have never come across a pharma manufacturing accident with such a huge death toll. This has to be the largest pharma disaster in the country till date," Ravi Udaya Bhaskar, director general, All India Drugs Control Officers Confederation told TOI.
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Rescue efforts inadequate: Kin of missing staff
Around 200 personnel from fire services, SDRF, along with 30 NDRF personnel, have conducted a comprehensive search of the wreckage. They have found no trace of any missing persons, said Y Nagi Reddy, director general, Telangana state fire services and disaster response. He added: 'The company management claims that only five are missing. It could be the missing workers did not report to work on Monday or were not on campus at the time of the accident.
We are verifying their whereabouts.' Authorities are also not ruling out the possibility that the missing persons could be among the dead who had not been identified as yet.
By Tuesday evening, identity of 14 bodies had been confirmed at the govt area hospital in Patancheru. Blood samples of the remaining were sent for DNA profiling to the forensic science laboratory to establish their identity, as they have been burnt beyond recognition.
Challenging operation, say NDRF teams
'Both National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are still working at the site to clear the debris and hazardous material,' said Damodar Singh, assistant commandant (Telangana region) with NDRF, adding how the operation has been one of the most challenging rescue missions undertaken in the state.
'Our teams employed cutting equipment to break down the debris into smaller bits before clearing it with JCBs.
The most demanding aspect is careful removal of debris while recovering bodies. It might take another day to completely clear out the debris and recover bodies that may have been trapped beneath the debris,' he said.
NDRF officials also explained how the presence of hazardous substances hindered their operation, as the material caused metallic flames. 'The factory's 'pancake-style' collapse (where a building collapses floor by floor) has resulted in continuous flames erupting from under the wreckage,' said a senior official from NDRF.
The kin of missing workers, however, claimed that the rescue efforts were inadequate. They alleged that the equipment and workforce at the location were insufficient, resulting in prolonged delays in retrieving the bodies.
'Authorities deployed only two JCBs which are not enough to locate so many missing people,' said K Sujatha, relative of a 22-year-old youth who is still missing. 'We visited four different hospitals too to verify if he was receiving treatment or was sent for post-mortem, but in vain.'
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