Six killed, 15 injured at pharma factory explosion in Andhra

New Delhi, Apr 14: Six persons have been killed and over 15 injured in a late night explosion at a pharma factory in Andhra Pradesh's Eluru.

Deputy superintendent of police in Nuzvid B Srinivasulu said that the incident took place at around 11.30 pm when the gas used for manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients in the boiler leaked due to suspected malfunction.

There were at least 20 people in the fourth unit of the Porus Laboratories Private Limited when the explosion offered.

Fire tenders were pressed into service soon after the blast. The police too rushed to spot to ensure that the gas leak does not spread as it could have been extremely dangerous for the people living in the area.

The injured have been rushed to the government general hospitals in Nuzvid and Vijayawada, the police said. Authorities said that they are ascertaining if the reactor exploded or the fire was caused by a short circuit.

Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the incident and announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives. Rs 5 lakh compensation was announced for those gravely injured while for those with minor injuries an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh has been announced.

The CM also directed the collector to conduct a full investigation into the incident.