Latest news with #chemicalfactory
CNN
01-07-2025
- Health
- CNN
At least 39 killed in fire at Indian pharmaceutical factory
The death toll from the explosion and fire at Sigachi Industries' chemical factory in southern India has risen to at least 39, officials said on Tuesday, forcing the supplier of pharma products to shut operations for 90 days. The government of Telangana state, where the facility is located, has formed a five-member committee to probe the incident, the cause of which is yet to be disclosed by the company. The explosion on Monday also injured 34, according to officials. 'We are still clearing the debris,' GV Narayana Rao, director of the Telangana fire disaster response service, told Reuters, adding that the building had completely collapsed. 'Once we are all done with the clearing, only then we will be able to assess if any other body is still remaining under the debris or if it is all clear,' Rao said. Police officials said more than 140 people were working in the plant when the incident occurred. Twenty-five of the deceased were yet to be identified, district administrative official P. Pravinya said. 'I came out (of the plant) to use the restroom and heard a loud blast. It sounded like a bomb blast. I came out and saw fire. A part of the fire also spread towards me. I jumped the wall and escaped,' Chandan Gound, 32, who has been working at the factory for six months, told Reuters by phone. 'Many of them (those inside) managed to escape, but a large number were trapped and could not come out,' Gound added. Sigachi, which makes microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), caters to clients in the pharma, food, cosmetic and specialty chemicals sectors in countries ranging from the US to Australia. MCC's compressibility, binding properties, and ability to boost drug release make it a vital ingredient in pharmaceutical manufacturing. It is also used to prevent the formation of lumps in food products, to maintain texture of cosmetic products, and as a fat substitute in low-calorie foods. Sigachi's Telangana plant contributes a little over a fourth of its total capacity of 21,700 million metric tons per annum. Its shares dropped about 8% on Tuesday and were headed for their sharpest two-day drop on record. Sigachi halted operations at the plant for 90 days from Monday citing damage to equipment and structures. The plant is fully insured and the company is initiating claims. In a separate incident on Tuesday, five people were killed and four others injured in a massive fire at a crackers factory in the Sivakasi manufacturing cluster in the southern Tamil Nadu state, a fire department official said. The incident is the latest in a series of fire accidents in the area.
CNN
01-07-2025
- Health
- CNN
At least 39 killed in fire at Indian pharmaceutical factory
The death toll from the explosion and fire at Sigachi Industries' chemical factory in southern India has risen to at least 39, officials said on Tuesday, forcing the supplier of pharma products to shut operations for 90 days. The government of Telangana state, where the facility is located, has formed a five-member committee to probe the incident, the cause of which is yet to be disclosed by the company. The explosion on Monday also injured 34, according to officials. 'We are still clearing the debris,' GV Narayana Rao, director of the Telangana fire disaster response service, told Reuters, adding that the building had completely collapsed. 'Once we are all done with the clearing, only then we will be able to assess if any other body is still remaining under the debris or if it is all clear,' Rao said. Police officials said more than 140 people were working in the plant when the incident occurred. Twenty-five of the deceased were yet to be identified, district administrative official P. Pravinya said. 'I came out (of the plant) to use the restroom and heard a loud blast. It sounded like a bomb blast. I came out and saw fire. A part of the fire also spread towards me. I jumped the wall and escaped,' Chandan Gound, 32, who has been working at the factory for six months, told Reuters by phone. 'Many of them (those inside) managed to escape, but a large number were trapped and could not come out,' Gound added. Sigachi, which makes microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), caters to clients in the pharma, food, cosmetic and specialty chemicals sectors in countries ranging from the US to Australia. MCC's compressibility, binding properties, and ability to boost drug release make it a vital ingredient in pharmaceutical manufacturing. It is also used to prevent the formation of lumps in food products, to maintain texture of cosmetic products, and as a fat substitute in low-calorie foods. Sigachi's Telangana plant contributes a little over a fourth of its total capacity of 21,700 million metric tons per annum. Its shares dropped about 8% on Tuesday and were headed for their sharpest two-day drop on record. Sigachi halted operations at the plant for 90 days from Monday citing damage to equipment and structures. The plant is fully insured and the company is initiating claims. In a separate incident on Tuesday, five people were killed and four others injured in a massive fire at a crackers factory in the Sivakasi manufacturing cluster in the southern Tamil Nadu state, a fire department official said. The incident is the latest in a series of fire accidents in the area.
Arab News
01-07-2025
- Health
- Arab News
India's Sigachi factory fire death toll rises to 39; cause still unknown
HYDERABAD, India: The death toll from the explosion and fire at Sigachi Industries' chemical factory in southern India has risen to at least 39, officials said on Tuesday, forcing the supplier of pharma products to shut operations for 90 days. The government of Telangana state, where the facility is located, has formed a five-member committee to probe the incident, the cause of which is yet to be disclosed by the company. The explosion on Monday also injured 34, according to officials. 'We are still clearing the debris,' GV Narayana Rao, director of the Telangana fire disaster response service, told Reuters, adding that the building had completely collapsed. 'Once we are all done with the clearing, only then we will be able to assess if any other body is still remaining under the debris or if it is all clear,' Rao said. Police officials said more than 140 people were working in the plant when the incident occurred. Twenty-five of the deceased were yet to be identified, district administrative official P. Pravinya said. 'I came out (of the plant) to use the restroom and heard a loud blast. It sounded like a bomb blast. I came out and saw fire. A part of the fire also spread toward me. I jumped the wall and escaped,' Chandan Gound, 32, who has been working at the factory for six months, told Reuters by phone. 'Many of them (those inside) managed to escape, but a large number were trapped and could not come out,' Gound added. Sigachi, which makes microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), caters to clients in the pharma, food, cosmetic and specialty chemicals sectors in countries ranging from the US to Australia. MCC's compressibility, binding properties, and ability to boost drug release make it a vital ingredient in pharmaceutical manufacturing. It is also used to prevent the formation of lumps in food products, to maintain texture of cosmetic products, and as a fat substitute in low-calorie foods. Sigachi's Telangana plant contributes a little over a fourth of its total capacity of 21,700 million metric tons per annum. Its shares dropped about 8 percent on Tuesday and were headed for their sharpest two-day drop on record. Sigachi halted operations at the plant for 90 days from Monday citing damage to equipment and structures. The plant is fully insured and the company is initiating claims. In a separate incident on Tuesday, five people were killed and four others injured in a massive fire at a crackers factory in the Sivakasi manufacturing cluster in the southern Tamil Nadu state, a fire department official said. The incident is the latest in a series of fire accidents in the area.
Al Bawaba
01-07-2025
- Al Bawaba
Death toll in India's chemical factory blast jumps to 35
Published July 1st, 2025 - 07:09 GMT ALBAWABA - Indian officials revealed that at least 35 people died from a powerful explosion that hit an Indian chemical factory. Officials added that rescue operations continued for a second day Tuesday to find survivors following the deadly blast that occurred in Sangareddy in India's southern Telangana state on Monday. State Chief Minister Revanth Reddy visited the site on Tuesday, which turned into a pile of twisted metal in the wreckage due to the explosion. A committee was designed to probe the reason behind the blast. 🇮🇳EXPLOSION AT INDIAN PHARMA PLANT KILLS 18, DOZENS INJUREDA massive fire at a chemical reactor in Andhra Pradesh killed at least 18 workers and injured 40 more - some critically. The blast ripped through a pharma plant producing active drug ingredients, with officials blaming… — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 30, 2025 AFP reported, citing a government official, who asked not to be named, that "at least 35 people" had been killed. "Searches at the site are still going on," the official said. Industrial disasters are common in India, with experts blaming poor planning and lax enforcement of safety rules. "The incident has unfortunately resulted in the loss of human life," factory owner Sigachi Industries, said in a statement. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
At least 36 dead after chemical reactor explodes in drug factory in India
At least 36 people were killed and 36 others injured in a fire triggered by a massive explosion at a chemical facility in India 's southern state of Telangana on Monday, fire department officials said. The blaze ripped through the Sigachi Chemicals factory in Sangareddy district at 9am following a blast in the spray dryer unit used to process raw material into fine powder for making drugs at the factory. More than 100 people were believed to be inside the factory when the explosion occurred and several were trapped inside. The fire department, which is working round the clock at the site, has recovered 34 charred bodies of the workers from the industrial site, about 50km from the state capital, Hyderabad, the state's fire services director G V Narayana Rao, said Two others succumbed to burn injuries at the hospital. The fire has been controlled but the building collapsed, he said. "We are still clearing the debris ... The building has collapsed and fabricated completely," Mr Rao, director of Telangana fire disaster response emergency, told Reuters. "Once we are all done with the clearing, only then we will be able to assess if any other body is still remaining under the debris or if it is all clear," he said. The fire department said debris of the gutted pharmaceutical unit of Sigachi Industries was still being removed to find out if any more workers were trapped inside. The state's health minister, Damodar Raja Narasimha, said there were 108 workers inside the factory at the time of the explosion. 'As bodies were badly burnt and mutilated, a special medical team has been deployed to conduct DNA tests', said Mr Narasimha. The state government has set up a panel to investigate the cause of the incident, he said. Industrial accidents involving fire and explosion at factories are not uncommon in India, where hundreds of workers often toil in poorly regulated, overcrowded facilities with inadequate safety measures. In March last year, a massive explosion at a licensed firecracker unit killed 11 people, including women, in Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu. The factory was allegedly storing large quantities of raw explosives in unsafe conditions. Six months later, a fire broke out at pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Andhra Pradesh, killing 17 people and injuring 40. India has been hailed as the ' pharmacy of the world ' as it remains home to some of the world's top pharmaceutical companies, playing a pivotal role in the global supply of generic medicines and vaccines. The country's robust manufacturing and cost-effective production have made it a hub for pharma giants. Sigachi Industries Limited is a prominent Indian manufacturer and exporter of pharmaceutical excipients, notably active pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates and vitamin-mineral blends, according to the company's website. It has five manufacturing facilities across India and subsidiaries in the US and the United Arab Emirates.
