Saturday, April 26, 2025

18 injured in Andhra agrochemical plant fire

Date:

Share post:

Hyderabad: Eighteen workers of an agrochemical company were injured in a fire following an explosion at the plant in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district Saturday morning, police said.

Fire broke out at Nagarjuna Agrichem Limited following an explosion in a chemical reactor in the fifth block of the plant, which produces agrochemicals. The plant is located at Chilkapalem in the Srikakulam district of north coastal Andhra, about 700 km from here.

Srikakulam district collector Vankatrami Reddy said 15 of the injured were shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at Srikakulam while three critically injured were taken to Visakhapatnam.

About 200 employees were reportedly working at the plant at the time of the incident. The workers ran in panic after the chemical reactor exploded. Company officials said the fire broke out during tea break which saved many lives.

Dense black smoke engulfed the entire area including nearby villages and the national highway. Some villages were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Fire tenders from neighbouring districts rushed to the scene and prevented the flames from spreading to other blocks.

This is the second major industrial disaster in the region this month. Eighteen people were killed in a fire in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant at Visakhapatnam June 13. (IANS)

Related articles

Govt issues advisory on media reporting of defence operations

New Delhi, April 26: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday issued an advisory directing all media...

Pakistan open for ‘neutral, transparent and credible investigation’ into Pahalgam terror attack: PM Shehbaz Sharif

Islamabad, April 26: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday expressed the country's readiness to participate in any...

Sleep well, avoid junk food to keep your liver healthy

New Delhi, April 26: Having a good night's sleep and avoiding junk food is essential to keep the...

Over two lakh people, top world leaders attend funeral ceremony of Pope Francis at Vatican

Vatican City, April 26: The funeral mass ceremony of Pope Francis, that began Saturday afternoon, India time, in...