Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Jul 6: The devastating explosion at Sigachi Industries’ plant in Pashamylaram, near Hyderabad, has claimed 41 lives, with authorities confirming two more deaths over the weekend.
One of the injured workers, Jitender, passed away at Dhruva Hospital in Patancheru on Sunday. A day earlier, another critically injured worker, Manmohan Singh from Bihar, had also succumbed to his injuries at the same hospital.
As of now, nine workers remain unaccounted for. Rescue teams continue sifting through the wreckage of the plant, which was torn apart by a massive blast on June 30 in Sangareddy district’s Patancheru Mandal. The factory specializes in producing Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) powder, a compound widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for manufacturing tablets and capsules.
So far, 33 workers have been reported injured in the incident. While 12 have been discharged after receiving medical care, the rest continue treatment in various hospitals across the region.
Tragically, search teams have recovered 30 dismembered human remains from the debris. These remains were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Hyderabad for DNA analysis. Out of 24 DNA samples collected so far, 22 individuals have been successfully identified, and their remains handed over to their families.
Most of the victims were migrant laborers from Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. The local administration is coordinating with the police to transport the bodies to their native states, each accompanied by a police escort.
A joint rescue operation involving Fire Services, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), HYDRAA, and the local police remains active at the site. Of the 143 workers present during the explosion, 61 managed to escape unhurt.
In response to the tragedy, Sigachi Industries has announced ?1 crore compensation for the families of each deceased worker. The company has also committed to covering all medical expenses of the injured and pledged continued support to them.
A comprehensive investigation into the incident is now underway. Telangana’s Chief Secretary is heading a high-powered committee that visited the blast site on July 4 to assess the damage and supervise the inquiry. The panel includes top officials from the Disaster Management, Labour, Health, and Fire Services departments.
Additionally, the state government has set up a four-member technical expert committee led by B. Venkateshwar Rao, Emeritus Scientist at CSIR-IICT. The committee has been tasked with uncovering the technical causes behind the catastrophic explosion and detailing the sequence of failures that led to the disaster.
As the probe progresses and rescue efforts continue, families of the victims await closure and justice for the lives lost in one of Telangana’s most tragic industrial accidents.