Anakapalli (Andhra Pradesh): Solvent leakage is suspected to be the cause of blaze that killed four employees at Laurus Labs in Parawada Pharma City of Anakapalli district. One more injured person is battling for life at a private hospital in Visakhapatnam. The fire broke out in the pharmaceutical unit on Monday.
Since the beginning, Parawada Pharma City has been witnessing a series of fire mishaps. Employees and workers are getting worried due to this. A fire broke out at 3:15 pm near the reactor and dryers in the manufacturing section of the third unit of the industry underground. All the tools made of rubber were burnt to ashes.
After the fire subsided, when the scene was inspected, four people were found burnt alive and one was suffering from severe injuries. Although the bodies were completely burnt, they were taken to the hospital to find if there were any survivors. But there was no positive result. Doctors confirmed that four had already died. The bodies were shifted to Visakhapatnam KGH mortuary.
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First, employees noticed that the solvent was leaking, sources said. When they were trying to solve the problem, a fire broke out and suffocated the employees. They were trapped in flames before they knew what was happening. The accident happened in the afternoon but the situation at the spot remained out of control till 7 pm.
As the accident took place underground, there was no sign of seriousness over ground except for a little smoke. Employees left their phones at the entry gate. As a result, there was no information about the developments from underground. The police were informed at half past four. The victims were rushed to the hospital before they arrived.
The identity of the deceased was not officially revealed until 7 p.m. on Monday. Anakapalli RDO Chinnikrishna and Parawada Tehsildar inspected the incident site. They said that the cause of the accident is being investigated. The victims, as per the initial inputs, include three employees of the ill-fated company and a contract worker. The deceased were identified as Rambabu, Rajesh, Ramakrishna, and Venkata Rao. The police have also commenced a probe into the matter.
Industries Minister Amarnath announced that the government will provide compensation of Rs 25 lakhs to the families of the deceased. The officials were ordered to provide better treatment to the victim who is undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile, the opposition voiced concern over the fire mishap. Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan said that the families of the deceased should be supported. He demanded that a safety audit be conducted in every industry in Visakhapatnam. TDP leader Nara Lokesh expressed shock over the death of four employees in the Parawada fire accident.
