A fire at a chemical manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalle district has resulted in injuries to four factory workers, just two days after a devastating explosion killed 17 people in the same state.
The latest incident occurred early Friday at Synergene Active Ingredients Private Limited, located within Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City. This expansive 2,429-acre industrial park houses numerous chemical and pharmaceutical companies. Preliminary reports suggest that the fire was caused by a chemical reaction, where mixing of certain chemicals and liquids produced a vapor that was ignited by static electricity.
The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, has taken immediate interest in the situation and is investigating the cause of the fire. This incident marks the second such tragedy in Andhra Pradesh within a span of less than 48 hours.
On Wednesday, a major explosion at a pharmaceutical unit in Achutapuram Special Economic Zone, likely due to an electrical fault, resulted in 17 fatalities and 41 injuries. In response to this tragedy, Chief Minister Naidu visited the families of the victims and expressed his commitment to improving workplace safety, particularly in ‘red category’ industries that handle hazardous materials.
Naidu announced financial compensation for the affected families: ₹1 crore for those who lost their lives, ₹50 lakh for those with serious injuries, and ₹25 lakh for those with minor injuries. He also criticized the previous government led by YSR Congress Party’s Jagan Mohan Reddy, alleging that despite setting up a commission to address industrial safety, no significant actions were taken to prevent such disasters.
The Chief Minister pledged to establish a new commission to review and address lapses in safety measures, aiming to prevent future industrial accidents and ensure stricter adherence to safety protocols in high-risk industries.
Sources By Agencies
