Seven workers were seriously injured in a reactor blast that occurred late Monday night at Sreekara Organics Limited located in the Bolarum Industrial area in India’s Hyderabad city in Telangana state.
According to local police, injured individuals were immediately transported to a private hospital in Hyderabad for medical treatment. The workers were all immigrants from Madhya Pradeesh and aged between 20-25 years. Two of the injured have sustained 40% burn injuries, and authorities confirmed that all seven workers are currently out of danger.
The incident occurred unexpectedly while workers were carrying out their duties within the industrial facility. According to local media reports, the fire occurred when the workers were loading a wet chemical powder into the dryer tray which had traces of a solvent on it. The contact caused a chemical reaction that triggered a flash fire. The flames did not spread to the nearby reactors and saved lives of the several other workers of the facility.
Local police have registered a case and are currently investigating the cause of the explosion.
"During the transfer of potent powders from drums to a tray dryer using a scoop, the company neglected essential measures, resulting in a flash fire. We have filed a case under Section 327 of BNS,” an official at IDA Bollaram police station told the media.
The company has not yet released an official statement as to continuation of business per usual or if the plant will be shut off.
This is a developing story; we will update this space as and when more information gets available.
