Hyderabad: One person died and eight others were injured after a reactor explosion at a pharmaceutical unit on the outskirts of Veliminedu village in Chityala mandal of Nalgonda district on Friday, May 1.
According to initial reports, the blast occurred in the third block of the Nosh Pharma facility while operations were underway. The explosion left multiple workers with injuries, following which all nine victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The deceased has been identified as Boddu Balakrishna, 32, who passed away while undergoing treatment at the DRDA Hospital in Hyderabad. He hailed from Chinnakaparthi village in Chityala mandal.
According to a report in The Hindu, a build-up of pressure inside a stainless steel reactor is suspected to have triggered the high-impact explosion.
Recurring safety concerns
The latest incident comes just weeks after a similar accident at the same facility. On April 9, a reactor blast at the Nosh Pharma unit injured two workers when flames erupted near the reactor during operations.
The recurrence of such incidents has raised serious concerns over safety standards at the plant. Past reports indicate that reactor-related mishaps in industrial units in the region are not uncommon, often leading to fires and injuries.
Collector Chandrasekhar and Superintendent of Police (SP) Sharath Chandra Pawar inspected the site of the accident, inquired into the circumstances surrounding the accident and the ongoing relief operations.
The Collector sought details from the company management regarding the condition of the injured victims and the medical treatment being provided to them.
He expressed serious concern over the frequent occurrence of accidents at this specific company and demanded to know what safety protocols were being implemented to prevent such incidents.
