At least 15 killed in blast at pharma factory in India
Al Jazeera
At least 40 others injured, with officials in Andhra Pradesh state saying many suffered extensive chemical burns.
An explosion at a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state has killed at least 15 people, according to a government official.
Rescue operations were under way late on Wednesday after a fire broke out at the privately held Escientia Advanced Sciences’s 40-acre (16-hectare) manufacturing unit in the state’s Anakapalli district.
“Death toll as of now is 15 and is likely to go up. Nearly 40 people have been injured. Rescue operations under way,” District Superintendent of Police M Deepika told the Reuters news agency.
The blast occurred during lunchtime at the pharma factory, which began operating in 2019, said district collector Vijaya Krishnan. The company manufactures intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients, local media reports said.
“The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals … It appears that there could have been a blast at the chemical reactor,” his office told Reuters.
