HYDERABAD — The death toll reached 45, a day after the deadly chemical explosion at Sangareddy’s Sigachi Industries’ pharma plant in Pashamylaram.
On Tuesday, chief minister A Revanth Reddy, accompanied by ministers Sridhar Babu, Damodara Raja Narasimha, G Vivek and P Rsinivasa Redd,y visited the factory blast site and reviewed the situation with senior officials.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy also announced a compensation of Rs one crore each to the families of those killed in the blast at a pharma unit at Pashamylaram near Hyderabad.
Those who sustained critical injuries will be paid Rs 10 lakh each, and Rs 5 lakh each to others with minor injuries.
After visiting the accident site, he told media persons that both the company management and the state government will ensure compensation to the victims.
He also announced that expenses for the treatment of the injured will be borne by the company and the government.
The Chief Minister directed officials to provide Rs 1 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured as immediate assistance.
The government will extend all help to the affected families, including the education of the children by admitting them to government residential schools.
The Chief Minister said the officials have so far confirmed the death of 36 workers in the accident. Some workers are missing and feared trapped under debris.
He stated that 143 employees were present in the factory when the explosion occurred, and so far, 58 of them have been contacted by authorities. Efforts were on to trace the remaining. Some of them may be trapped under debris, while some others may have escaped in panic and did not come into contact with authorities.
He termed it as the most tragic incident and said that in no other accident in the past in United Andhra Pradesh or Telangana, so many lives were lost.
He said the available information shows that workers in the factory were from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Stating that the government has taken a serious view of the accident, he said he had already ordered an inquiry by a five-member committee of top officials. He assured action against those found responsible for the disaster.
Voicing concern over the increasing number of fire accidents, the Chief Minister said the government would bring a system to ensure implementation of safety regulations and their compliance by companies’ management.
The Chief Minister later visited a hospital in Patancheru to call on the injured.
Earlier, the Chief Minister spoke to senior officials about the blast and the subsequent fire, which left a trail of destruction in the unit located at Pashamylaram industrial area in Sangareddy district, about 50 km from Hyderabad.
He also enquired about the status of the rescue operation as scores of rescue workers continued clearing the debris of the production unit’s three-storey building, which collapsed under the impact of the blast.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by ministers Damodar Raja Narasimha, D. Sridhar Babu, P. Srinivasa Reddy and G. Vivek and senior officials. — With inputs from IANS
