Chemical factory blast kills 5 in India

At least five workers were killed and 15 others injured in a massive reactor blast at an industrial unit in Pashamylaram near Hyderabad on Monday.

The incident occurred in a chemical factory in the industrial area in Sangareddy, about 60km from Hyderabad, around 9am.
The explosion triggered a huge fire, which engulfed the premises of Sigachi Chemicals. Firefighters rushed to the spot to douse the fire. Eleven fire engines controlled the flames.

Police, fire services and other personnel launched rescue and relief operations. Ambulances were also seen at the spot to shift the injured to hospitals.

Five workers died on the spot while three others succumbed at hospitals. Two of the deceased at a private hospital in Madinguda were identified as Abhishek Kumar (Bihar) and Nagarjit Tiwari (Odisha).

A total of 66 were working at the factory at the time of the explosion. The injured were shifted to various hospitals, and the condition of five of them was stated to be critical.