India factory fire kills 39 as Sigachi shuts plant operations
Iain Hoey
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Fire kills at least 39 at Indian pharmaceutical supplier
At least 39 people have died following a fire and explosion at a chemical manufacturing site operated by Sigachi Industries in southern India, according to CNN and Reuters.
The incident occurred on Monday at the company’s plant in Telangana and left 34 people injured.
Local officials reported that more than 140 workers were present when the explosion occurred.
District administrative official P. Pravinya said 25 of the deceased remained unidentified as of Tuesday.
Operations at the facility have been suspended for 90 days, Sigachi Industries confirmed.
Investigation launched by Telangana government
The Telangana state government has announced the formation of a five-member committee to examine the cause of the explosion.
The company has not yet disclosed the cause of the incident.
GV Narayana Rao, director of Telangana fire disaster response service, told Reuters that the building was completely destroyed.
Rao said: “We are still clearing the debris.
“Once we are all done with the clearing, only then we will be able to assess if any other body is still remaining under the debris or if it is all clear.”
According to the fire department, recovery efforts are ongoing at the site.
Sigachi employee recounts incident
Factory worker Chandan Gound described the explosion in an interview with Reuters.
Gound said: “I came out (of the plant) to use the restroom and heard a loud blast. It sounded like a bomb blast. I came out and saw fire. A part of the fire also spread towards me. I jumped the wall and escaped.
“Many of them (those inside) managed to escape, but a large number were trapped and could not come out.”
Gound had been employed at the site for six months.
Authorities have not released the full list of those affected by the fire.
Company shuts plant and initiates claims
Sigachi Industries has confirmed that it has halted operations at the Telangana site for 90 days, citing structural and equipment damage.
The company said the facility is fully insured and it is in the process of submitting insurance claims.
Sigachi’s Telangana plant contributes over a quarter of its total annual production capacity, which is 21,700 million metric tons.
Following news of the incident, Sigachi’s stock fell by approximately 8 percent on Tuesday.
The company reported that this represented its steepest two-day decline on record.
Separate factory fire kills five in Tamil Nadu
CNN and Reuters also reported a separate incident on Tuesday in Tamil Nadu state.
A fire at a crackers factory in the Sivakasi region killed five people and injured four others.
A fire department official confirmed the deaths.
Sivakasi is a known hub for fireworks manufacturing and has seen multiple fire incidents in the past.
No link has been reported between the two fires.
India factory fire kills 39 as Sigachi shuts plant operations: Summary
At least 39 people have died after a fire and explosion at a Sigachi Industries plant in Telangana, India.
The incident occurred on Monday while over 140 people were reportedly inside the facility.
Telangana state officials confirmed that 34 people were injured and 25 of the deceased remain unidentified.
The Telangana government has set up a five-member committee to investigate the cause.
The cause of the fire has not been disclosed by the company.
GV Narayana Rao of the fire disaster response service said the building was destroyed.
Recovery operations are ongoing to clear debris and confirm the final death toll.
Sigachi Industries said it is halting operations at the site for 90 days due to damage.
The company noted that the plant is fully insured and it is filing claims.
The Telangana facility accounts for over a quarter of the company’s total capacity.
Sigachi shares fell by around 8 percent following the incident.
In a separate fire, five people died in Tamil Nadu at a fireworks factory.
That fire occurred in Sivakasi, a major crackers production region.
Authorities have not linked the two incidents.