Two supervisors died on the spot and four others are battling for life with severe burn injuries after a 3,000-kg capacity reactor blew up reportedly owing to heavy pressure at Tyche Industries Limited’s pharma unit at Sarpavaram, on the outskirts of Kakinada, in East Godavari district on Thursday.
East Godavari District Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy said the deceased had been identified as Kakarla Subramanyam (31) of Tallarevu mandal, and Thotakura Venkata Ramana (37) of Gollaprolu mandal in East Godavari district. The duo were engaged in the production of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) when the incident occurred.
The injured have been identified as Operator Kadupudi Srinivasa Rao, Assistant Operator Nammi Simhadri Rao, Assistant Production Manager Kalaga Satya Saibabu and Production Operator R. Rajkumar of East Godavari district. They have been admitted to a hospital near Kakinada.
According to Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi, the accident occurred when the staff were dealing with Nitric Acid at the reactor. Preliminary inquiry found that there was no leakage of any chemical into the air or surroundings, he claimed.
Probe
Mr. Muralidhar said safety measures and operational condition of the pharma unit were reviewed in November 2020. The Inspector of Factories, AP Pollution Control Board, Revenue and Fire department authorities are investigating the incident and are expected to submit a report soon.
In an official release, Health Minister Alla Nani assured better medical treatment for the injured persons and inquired about the incident with the officials and Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu, who rushed to the spot and coordinated the rescue operation.
