Blast occurred at Sigachi’s pharmaceutical unit near Hyderabad, has resulted in 44 deaths and 12 missing individuals, with death toll feared to rise further.
A devastating explosion rocked Sigachi Industries Private Limited, a Pharmaceutical manufacturing unit located in Pashamylaram near Hyderabad, on Monday morning, June 30, 2025. The catastrophic incident, which occurred around 9:10 a.m. according to eyewitnesses, has led to a rapidly escalating death toll, with rescue and recovery efforts continuing into Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
The blast, believed to have been caused by pressure building up inside a spray dryer, resulted in the collapse of the production unit housing the reactor. Many victims were tragically trapped under the rubble. Initial reports indicated a death toll of 37 overnight, but by Tuesday afternoon, officials confirmed that the number of fatalities had tragically climbed to 44. At the time of the explosion, 143 individuals were reportedly at the facility. Search operations are still underway for 12 missing individuals, and hospital authorities fear the toll may increase further as more bodies are expected to be recovered.
The severity of the blast has made identification of the victims challenging. A special forensic team from Osmania General Hospital has been deployed to assist with post-mortems and DNA sample collection. As of Tuesday morning, autopsies had been completed on 15 bodies, but only four victims had been identified, with DNA tests ongoing for the remaining charred remains.
The incident has also had a significant impact on Sigachi Industries. The drugmaker has confirmed that the blast severely damaged its core manufacturing infrastructure, leading to a temporary pause in operations at the facility.
Rescue and relief efforts have been extensive, with 11 fire tenders and the State Disaster Response Force deployed to the site. Many of the injured have suffered severe burns and inhaled poisonous fumes, with several critically injured patients on ventilator support. Most of the workers at the unit were reportedly from other states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy swiftly responded to the tragedy. Families of the deceased workers will receive Rs.1 crore, while those severely injured will be given Rs.10 lakh. In addition to this, the Chief Minister also directed an immediate relief payment of Rs.1 lakh to the families of deceased workers and Rs.50,000 to the injured. This comes in addition to the ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh from the PMNRF announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the next of kin of each deceased, and Rs.50,000 for the injured.
The Chief Minister expressed profound sorrow, stating that Telangana has "never before witnessed a tragedy that claimed so many lives." He also visited injured workers receiving treatment at a hospital in Patancheru.
