Explosion and fire at a pharmaceutical plant in India kill at least 15 workers and injure 40

HYDERABAD, India -- A big explosion triggered a fire in a pharmaceutical plant in southern India, killing at least 15 workers, police said Thursday.

An additonal 40 people were injured in the blast and the fire in the chemical reactor of the plant in Andhra Pradesh state Wednesday and were hospitalized, police officer M. Deepika said, adding that some of them were in critical condition.

The Press Trust of India news agency reported distressing scenes with the skin of several workers peeling off. Ambulances transported them to the hospital.

Officials suspect the cause was related to the electricity at the plant. State authorities have ordered an investigation.

The explosion occurred at the Escientia Company in Anakapalle district. The plant is about 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Amaravati, the capital of Andhra Pradesh.

The 5-year-old company manufactures intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients.

As the news of the blast spread, hundreds of workers' family members and relatives rushed to the plant to learn what happened to their loved ones.

Around 380 employees work two shifts at the plant. Many workers escaped because they were on lunch break when the explosion started the fire.

The plant is in the state's special economic zone at Atchutapuram village, which was established in 2009 with over 200 companies. Anakapalli is adjacent to the port city of Vishakhapatnam, a highly industrialized area with many mishaps, including hazardous chemical leakages.

In the most extensive industrial mishap in the region, 22 people were killed when a blast occurred in the refinery of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation in Visakhapatnam in 1997.

Fires are common in India, where builders and residents often flout building laws and safety norms. Some don’t even install firefighting equipment.

In 2019, a fire caused by an electrical short circuit in a New Delhi factory producing handbags and other items killed 43 people.