Telangana factory blast: Four from Odisha confirmed dead, overall death toll reaches 42

Bhubaneswar, July 2: At least four workers from Odisha were confirmed dead in the massive reactor explosion that rocked a chemical factory in Telangana’s Sangareddy district with the overall death toll rising to 42.

The deceased Odia workers have been identified as Rajnala Jagan Mohan (55) from Ganjam’s Chatrapur, Lagnajeeth Duari (20) from Cuttack’s Tigiria, Manoj Rout from Balasore district, and Dola Govinda Sahu from Jajpur.

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As of now, four deaths and four injuries have been reported from Odisha. 

The injured include Sameer Padhi from Ganjam, Chandan Kumar Naik from Bhadrak, and Neelamber Batra from Nabrangpur, all of whom are admitted at Pranaam Hospital in Madinaguda. Another injured person, Chitrasen Batra, is admitted at Druva Hospital in Patancheru.

Odisha’s Labour and Family Welfare Department has confirmed the deaths and stated that four other workers from the state were critically injured and are currently receiving treatment.

Notably, the explosion occurred at Sigachi Pharma Company in Pasamailaram Phase 1 at around 9 a.m. on Monday and triggered a huge fire which engulfed the entire factory.

After being alerted, firefighters along with police rushed to the spot and launched rescue and relief operations. A total of eleven fire engines were pressed to service to douse the flames and bring the situation under control.

In response to the tragedy, the Odisha government has sent a two-member team to the site to assess the situation on the ground and coordinate with local authorities. 

The Office of the Special Secretary of the Odisha Paribar Department confirmed the team's deployment and offered condolences to the victims' families.

Sigachi Industries Limited, a pharmaceutical company that makes active ingredients and vitamin blends, was operating at the site when an explosion happened. The blast was so strong that parts of the building collapsed, trapping workers inside. 

While the exact cause is still unknown, officials believe a reaction involving dangerous chemicals might have started the fire and explosion.