Six people died and over a dozen others were injured in a boiler blast at a chemical factory in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru district late on Wednesday. The incident took place in Porus Laboratories Private Limited at Akkireddygudem in Eluru.
The explosion was triggered when the gas used for manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients and other intermediates in the boiler unit leaked due to suspected malfunction, police said, adding that the incident took place around 11:30 pm on Wednesday.
The fire broke out due to leakage of nitric acid, monomethyl, Eluru SP Rahul Deb Sharma said.
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The Andhra Pradesh government has announced ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh to families of the deceased, Rs 5 lakh to those seriously injured and Rs 2 lakh to the others who suffered injuries in the boiler blast.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted over the tragic incident and said: “Pained by the loss of lives due to a mishap at a chemical unit in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly.”
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Fire enders and local police rushed to the spot soon after the blast was reported and launched a rescue operation. Fire tenders from Nuzvid and nearby units were pressed into service to douse the fire, while disaster response teams evacuated people in nearby colonies, fearing the gas leak could be dangerous, The New Indian Express reported.
An officer said the fire department personnel were carrying out search operations to find if any employee has been missing.
Eluru district SP Rahul Dev Sharma said the cause of gas leakage has not been ascertained.
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