Around five workers were killed and 10 others suffered serious injuries after a boiler at a private pharmaceutical manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district’s Sri City Special Economic Zone (SEZ) exploded early on Saturday, officials familiar with the matter said.
Following the blast, police, emergency personnel and other officials rushed to the facility and launched rescue and relief operations. Authorities have not yet released the identities of all the deceased. The final casualty figures are also expected to be confirmed after the rescue operations and medical assessment of the injured are completed.
The accident took place at the Till Healthcare pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, which produces tablets.
The boiler suddenly exploded while workers were on the night shift, triggering a massive fire inside the industrial unit, according to preliminary reports. An official working at the SEZ said the exact circumstances leading to the boiler explosion, have not yet been established. “Officials are expected to investigate whether the accident resulted from a technical malfunction, a failure of safety systems, an operational lapse or any other factor,” he said.
