Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the explosion at the Sigachi Pharma chemical factory in Telangana’s Sangareddy district. The PM also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. In a post on X, the PMO wrote, ‘Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy at a factory in Sangareddy, Telangana. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon.”

At least 12 people died and 34 persons were injured in a pharma plant explosion, Telangana Minister Damodara Raja Narasimha said. ANI further quoted officials, saying that over a dozen workers at the factory sustained injuries.

“The incident took place at Sigachi Pharma Company Pasamailaram Phase 1. Eleven fire tenders have reached the site. Nearly 15-20 people have been injured. Further details awaited,” said Telangana Fire officials.

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In a follow-up update, official sources disclosed that several workers were feared trapped at the suspected explosion site – Pashamylaram industrial estate. Authorities were doing their best to rescue them. Numerous injured individuals had already been taken to hospitals. Their conditions were yet to be revealed at the time of writing with rescue operations till underway.

While further confirmations are yet to roll out, Superintendent of Police of Sangareddy district, Paritosh Pankaj, told ANI that they hadn’t recovered any bodies at the time of writing.

Videos of Telangana factory explosion revealed

A video shared by PTI captured visuals of the explosion site where dark smoky clouds ascended into the sky, hovering over the tragic scene. A crowd of people gathered around as a fire truck and emergency responders are seen pulling into the street. Another clip caught a heart-rending scene of officers helping an injured man get into an ambulance for medical assistance.

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“The blast threw workers up to 100 meters away, trapping many in nearby tents as fires continued to rage. Firefighters are on-site battling the flames and conducting rescue operations,” PTI captioned the social media update.

(Inputs from agencies)