HYDERABAD, India (AP) 鈥� The death toll from Monday's massive explosion and fire at a pharmaceutical factory in India鈥檚 southern state of Telangana has risen to at least 36 while about three dozen were left injured, authorities said Tuesday.
The fire department recovered the charred bodies of 34 workers from the accident site in an industrial area about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the state capital Hyderabad, the state鈥檚 fire services director G.V. Narayana Rao told The Associated Press.
Two other workers succumbed to burns and were pronounced dead in hospital, Rao said, adding that debris of the gutted pharmaceutical unit of Sigachi Industries was still being removed to find out if any more workers were trapped.
Nearly three dozen injured workers were admitted to hospitals, he said.
鈥淭he whole structure of the factory has collapsed. Fire has been doused, and we hope to finish removing the debris in the next few hours,鈥� Rao said.
Sigachi Industries did not disclose what led to the explosion and fire, but said the plant's core manufacturing infrastructure was damaged and facility operations would be halted for 90 days. The plant produces microcrystalline cellulose, a chemical compound commonly used in making drugs, the company said.
was reported on Monday in the factory鈥檚 spray dryer unit, which is used to process raw material into fine powder for making drugs, Rao said.
The state鈥檚 Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha said there were 108 workers inside the factory at the time of the explosion.
鈥淎s bodies were badly burnt and mutilated, a special medical team has been deployed to conduct DNA tests鈥�, said Narasimha, adding the state government has set up a panel to investigate the cause of the incident.
Witnesses said they heard the explosion from a couple of kilometers away from the site.
India is home to some of the world鈥檚 top pharmaceutical companies, playing a pivotal role in the global supply of generic medicines and vaccines. The country鈥檚 robust manufacturing and cost-effective production have made it a hub for pharma giants.
Industrial accidents, particularly involving chemical reactors, aren鈥檛 uncommon in such factories, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols and regulatory oversight in a sector critical to public health.
Sigachi Industries Limited is an Indian company dealing with active pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates and vitamin-mineral blends, according to the company鈥檚 website. It has five manufacturing facilities across India and subsidiaries in the U.S and the United Arab Emirates.
Shares of Sigachi Industries tumbled 8% in intra-day trading Tuesday, extending the previous session鈥檚 plunge of nearly 10%.
In a disclosure to the Bombay Stock Exchange on Monday, the company called the incident 鈥渦nfortunate鈥� and announced that a thorough site assessment was underway. The factory where the fire occurred contributes a little more than a fourth of the company鈥檚 annual capacity.
Omer Farooq And Rajesh Roy, The Associated Press
