Telangana factory tragedy: Toll rises to 40 at Sigachi; many workers still missing, families on edge
HYDERABAD: The death toll from the massive explosion at a multi-storey chemical plant in Telangana's Medak district climbed to 40 by Tuesday morning, with several workers injured and many still unaccounted for.
Rescue operations are ongoing, and officials fear the toll may rise further as teams continue to sift through the rubble in search of those possibly trapped beneath the collapsed building.
The government area hospital in Patancheru, where post-mortem examinations are being conducted, confirmed 35 deaths so far.
The workers at the plant hail from multiple states, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Following state health minister Damodar Raja Narsimha's directives, health authorities dispatched forensic doctors to the area hospital. The Forensic Science Laboratory is supporting with DNA analysis.
Close to 200 personnel from fire services, SDRF, and NDRF teams are conducting rescue operations at the site.
‘Dryer malfunction behind factory blast’
The early morning blast reduced the building to rubble at the Rs 500-crore Sigachi Industries facility.
Initial findings suggest a dryer malfunction in the quality control unit triggered the blast. “Vice President, operations M E Elanghovan, in charge of attendance, and deputy general manager, M Praveen Kumar are missing. This makes it difficult to determine who was in the building,” a fire official said. Elanghovan had just stepped out of his car when the explosion struck the factory, about 50km from Hyderabad.
An adjacent HR block and a rear compound wall were partially damaged. Chunks of cement crushed some workers, while others suffered fatal burns as flames spread rapidly after the blast. Many bodies were burnt beyond recognition. Only four bodies have been identified till late Monday.
PM Narendra Modi expressed condolences and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Distraught relatives waited outside hospitals and at the blast site, hoping for newsas authorities struggled to trace missing workers. “Lack of accurate information from the company management on how many workers were inside has complicated rescue efforts,” director of fire services G V Narayana Rao said. “More could be trapped under the debris. Only once the rubble is cleared will we have a clear picture.”
Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy visited the hospital and met victims’ families. He directed the health minister, chief secretary and DGP to oversee rescue and relief efforts.
Reddy held a high-level review meeting with concerned officials to assess the situation and ongoing relief efforts.
He was briefed on the causes of the accident and the current status of operations. The CM directed officials to conduct inspections across all chemical companies to identify potential safety lapses. He instructed them to submit a comprehensive report, prepared in consultation with experts, highlighting the deficiencies in current safety protocols.
To streamline efforts across departments, a special officer will be appointed to oversee coordination during the relief operations.
The chief minister ordered immediate financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured, clarifying that this aid is not compensation but urgent support.
He also instructed officials to ensure the best medical care for the injured, stating that the government will fully bear the treatment costs if necessary. Furthermore, in a step toward securing the future of affected families, the CM directed that children of the deceased be enrolled in government residential schools, ensuring their continued education and well-being.
Sigachi Industries, which manufactures microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), informed stock exchanges about an “accident in the vicinity” of its plant in Medak district.
Rescue operations are ongoing, and officials fear the toll may rise further as teams continue to sift through the rubble in search of those possibly trapped beneath the collapsed building.
The government area hospital in Patancheru, where post-mortem examinations are being conducted, confirmed 35 deaths so far.
The workers at the plant hail from multiple states, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Following state health minister Damodar Raja Narsimha's directives, health authorities dispatched forensic doctors to the area hospital. The Forensic Science Laboratory is supporting with DNA analysis.
Close to 200 personnel from fire services, SDRF, and NDRF teams are conducting rescue operations at the site.
‘Dryer malfunction behind factory blast’
The early morning blast reduced the building to rubble at the Rs 500-crore Sigachi Industries facility.
Initial findings suggest a dryer malfunction in the quality control unit triggered the blast. “Vice President, operations M E Elanghovan, in charge of attendance, and deputy general manager, M Praveen Kumar are missing. This makes it difficult to determine who was in the building,” a fire official said. Elanghovan had just stepped out of his car when the explosion struck the factory, about 50km from Hyderabad.
An adjacent HR block and a rear compound wall were partially damaged. Chunks of cement crushed some workers, while others suffered fatal burns as flames spread rapidly after the blast. Many bodies were burnt beyond recognition. Only four bodies have been identified till late Monday.
PM Narendra Modi expressed condolences and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Distraught relatives waited outside hospitals and at the blast site, hoping for newsas authorities struggled to trace missing workers. “Lack of accurate information from the company management on how many workers were inside has complicated rescue efforts,” director of fire services G V Narayana Rao said. “More could be trapped under the debris. Only once the rubble is cleared will we have a clear picture.”
Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy visited the hospital and met victims’ families. He directed the health minister, chief secretary and DGP to oversee rescue and relief efforts.
Reddy held a high-level review meeting with concerned officials to assess the situation and ongoing relief efforts.
He was briefed on the causes of the accident and the current status of operations. The CM directed officials to conduct inspections across all chemical companies to identify potential safety lapses. He instructed them to submit a comprehensive report, prepared in consultation with experts, highlighting the deficiencies in current safety protocols.
To streamline efforts across departments, a special officer will be appointed to oversee coordination during the relief operations.
The chief minister ordered immediate financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured, clarifying that this aid is not compensation but urgent support.
He also instructed officials to ensure the best medical care for the injured, stating that the government will fully bear the treatment costs if necessary. Furthermore, in a step toward securing the future of affected families, the CM directed that children of the deceased be enrolled in government residential schools, ensuring their continued education and well-being.
Sigachi Industries, which manufactures microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), informed stock exchanges about an “accident in the vicinity” of its plant in Medak district.
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