Telangana factory blast: 12 dead, several injured as reactor blast rips through pharma unit

Fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire.

At least 12 people lost their lives and 14 others sustained injuries after a reactor explosion triggered a fire at the Sigachi Chemical Industry unit in Telangana's Pashamylaram area on Monday, according to a report by news agency PTI.

As per the report, several workers are feared trapped at the accident site in the Sigachi pharma company at the Pashamylaram industrial estate, and efforts are on to rescue them, official sources said.

The injured people, as per PTI, were shifted to hospitals, and their condition was not known immediately, as the rescue operation was still in progress. Fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire.

Asked if it was an explosion, a police official said it "looks like" one. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed anguish over the incident and directed officials to take all steps to save the trapped workers and provide them advanced medical care, an official release said.

Sigachi Industries Limited is a pharmaceutical industry dedicated to pioneering advancements in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), Intermediates, Excipients, vitamin-mineral blends, and Operations and Management (O&M) services, according to the company's website.