A massive fire broke out due to an explosion in a pharma company’s factory in Achutapuram Special Economic Zone of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday. 17 employees were burnt to death in this fire, while 41 people were injured. Anakapalli District Collector Vijay Krishnan said that the accident took place at around 2 pm in the plant of ‘Essentia’ Pharma Company. He said that the people injured in the incident have been admitted to various hospitals in Anakapalli and Achutapuram. Apart from this, the District Collector said that 13 people trapped in the company have been rescued.
According to the District Magistrate, this incident was not caused by an explosion in the reactor. Officials suspect that this is an electrical fire. Around 380 employees work in two shifts in the plant. The District Magistrate said that six fire engines have been deployed to extinguish the fire. Apart from this, NDRF team has been called to rescue the people.
State Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has expressed grief over the incident and assured all possible help to the affected families and workers. An official press release said, “The Chief Minister has assured that the government stands with the families of the injured and deceased workers and is ready to provide all possible help.”
Let us tell you that Essentia Advanced Sciences, which manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), started production here in April 2019 with an investment of Rs 200 crore. This plant is spread over about 40 acres of land in Achutapuram Special Economic Zone. This is not the first time an accident has happened in Achutapuram. Last month in June, there was an explosion in the reactor of Vasant Chemical Factory in the same special zone, in which one worker died and two people were injured.
