Atchutapuram: Massive blast at Escientia Advanced Science leaves 17 dead, 33 injured; probe ordered

Atchutapuram: Cries rent the air as injured workers with their skin peeled off were being shifted to hospitals. Seventeen people were killed and 33 injured when an explosion ripped through a pharma company at the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Atchutapuram cluster.

The incident occurred at 2:15 pm on Wednesday at Escientia Advanced Science Pvt Ltd. The damage could have been worse had people not left for lunch.

The slab of the first floor of the pharma company collapsed, and some of the workers got trapped under the debris.

As many as 33 injured people were shifted to different hospitals in Anakapalli and Atchutapuram. Further, 13 people trapped in the unit were rescued using ladder vehicles.

Anakapalli district collector Vijaya Krishnan said the fire was suspected to be electricity-related.

Visakhapatnam District Collector M Harendira Prasad, announced an ex-gratia payment of one crore rupees to each family of the deceased, in addition to two lakh rupees from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and Rs 50,000 for those injured.

The company, which manufactures intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) commenced production in April 2019 with an investment of Rs 200 crore. It is located on a 40-acre campus in the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation's (APIIC) multi-product SEZ at the Atchutapuram cluster.

Criminal cases have been registered against the Company.

Young engineer, ITI diploma holder lost lives

Among the victims is Trainee Engineer Harika who returned to work after visiting her family in Kakinada for Raksha Bandhan.

Despite her brother asking her to stay for a few more days, she returned to join work, lost her life. Her family is now preparing to take her body back to their native Kakinada.

Another victim Parthasaradhi, an ITI diploma holder from Parvathipuram was to get married in another two months. While their family was preparing for his wedding, they were shattered to hear about his death.

High-level inquiry

“Though it is being reported that the accident occurred due to a rector blast, the officials said that when solvent oil was being pumped from one floor to another it led to leakage and resulted in a blaze followed by a large explosion,” Office of the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Konidala Pawan Kalyan posted on X.

Pawan Kalyan directed authorities to conduct the safety audit and ensure that safety standards and regulations are implemented strictly.

Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident, promising stringent action against the management if its negligence was found to have caused the tragic incident.

Naiudu visit to Vizag

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will visit the site on Thursday afternoon. Before this, he will meet the injured workers currently being treated at Medicover Hospital.

Home for Pharma industries

Anakapalle is a home for several pharma industries (bulk drug units) with a turnover Crores. However, frequent mishaps have been raising serious doubts over the safety mechanisms in place there.

Reports said more than 60 persons were killed in the mishaps at pharma units in north Andhra Pradesh in the past one decade.

The explosion at Escientia pharmaceutical company is one of the major industrial mishaps in Andhra Pradesh during the last three decades.

Some of the mishaps include :

1997 HPCL- The 1997 vapor cloud explosion at the HPCL refinery claimed 60 lives.

2013, HPCL- The cooling tower blast at HPCL claimed 28 lives.

2012 Vizag Steel Plant: The blast at the oxygen plant of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in June 2012 has claimed 19 lives.

2020 LG Polymers: In May, 12 people, including a six-year-old girl, died, and over 150 were hospitalized after styrene vapor leaked from LG Polymers at RR Venkatapuram.

2020 HSL: 11 workers were killed when a crane collapsed at Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Vizag city.

Cong says govt must act to avoid such incidents in future

The Congress on Thursday condoled the loss of lives in the terrible fire tragedy in a pharmaceutical factory in Andhra Pradesh's Anakapalle district, and urged the government to take steps to avoid such incidents in the future.

"Deeply anguished by the terrible fire tragedy in a pharmaceutical factory in Anakapalle district of Andhra Pradesh where several people have lost their lives," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X.

"Our heartfelt condolences to the grieving families. The government must provide them with immediate and adequate compensation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and we wish them a speedy recovery," he said. "We need to take more preventive measures to avoid such incidents in the future and ensure justice to the victims, therefore the government must act with alacrity on the high level probe," the Congress president said.