Solvent leak could have triggered fire in AP pharma unit, Naidu visits injured persons

Atchutapuram: A suspected solvent leakage could have triggered a blaze in a pharma unit here that has killed 17 persons, a senior official said on Thursday.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu visited the injured persons at a hospital in Visakhapatnam and announced ex-gratia of Rs one crore to the kin of victims. He also assured necessary precautions to prevent such incidents in future.

Anakapalli district Collector Vijaya Krishnan told PTI there was no rise in the death toll which stood at 17 following the accident on Wednesday.

"The actual cause is yet to be ascertained," she said, adding preliminary assessment pointed to solvent leakage from a pipe which fell on an electric panel, leading to the fire accident.

Vijaya Krishnan observed that a suspected solvent leakage could have triggered the blaze in the plant of Escientia Advanced Sciences Pvt Ltd here, leading to the death of 17 persons and injuries to 33.

The Anakapalli district Collector told PTI that there was no rise in the death toll which stood at 17 following the accident on Wednesday.

"The actual cause is yet to be ascertained," she said, adding preliminary assessment pointed to solvent leakage from a pipe which fell on an electricity panel, leading to the fire accident.

The Chief Minister, who met the injured persons undergoing treatment at a hospital, said Rs 50 lakh would be given to severely injured workers and Rs 25 lakh to the injured persons.

"I met the injured persons of the Atchutapuram pharma company accident in a Visakhapatnam hospital and instilled confidence in them and their families. I gave the assurance to come to the rescue of victims' families," Naidu said in a post on X.

Promising to take necessary precautions to avoid these kinds of accidents in future, the CM wished for the speedy recovery of the workers undergoing treatment.

Though it is being reported the accident occurred due to a reactor blast, officials said when solvent oil was being pumped from one floor to another it led to leakage and resulted in a blaze followed by a large explosion, according to a post on 'X' by the Office of the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, K Pawan Kalyan.

Relatives of the affected workers continue to wait anxiously at the pharma company, eager to know the fate of their loved ones.

"I want my father back and this company removed...," a minor girl told a vernacular news channel, referring to her father, who was employed in the firm.

The sister of a victim complained that authorities were not showing where her brother was while a sobbing elderly woman demanded the return of her son-in-law.

Harrowing scenes unfolded with injured workers -- their skin ripped and peeling off, bodies soaked in blood -- being shifted to hospitals in ambulances after the incident occurred at 2.15 pm on Wednesday at Escientia Advanced Sciences Pvt Ltd.

The company, which manufactures intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) commenced production in April 2019 with an investment of Rs 200 crore.

It is located on a 40-acre campus in the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation's multi-product SEZ at the Atchutapuram cluster.