In the Pharma City district of the southern Indian port city of Vishakhapatnam, the waste management unit of a pharmaceutical company burst into flames, injuring four workers. The workers, who suffered burn injuries, are being treated at a local private hospital.
The explosion in the Visakha Solvents’ plant near Vishakhapatnam’s port is said to have occurred in the Ramky Solvents unit, and as of now, the exact cause of the incident remains unclear.
Videos shared by the residents of the city’s Paravada area have gone viral on social media, leaving netizens “shocked and saddened”. #VizagBlast is trending on the top spot on Twitter in India.
Another industrial accident in Vizag! About 17 blasts heard inside Ramky pharmaceuticals, apparently inside SETP Solvents boilers. According to the info coming- fire engines are not able to reach the accident location as yet. Ground situation isn’t looking good. #VizagBlast #Ramky pic.twitter.com/DNQYANGMR8
— Revathi (@revathitweets) July 13, 2020
Shocked & saddened to hear of the explosion in Vizag's Pharma City last night. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured workers &for the safety of our #Visakhapatnam citizens, who have faced too much tragedy this year. Hope there were no chemical fumes released in the fire🙏 pic.twitter.com/spgAB0AteG
— Swetha Kesineni (@KesineniSwetha) July 14, 2020
Sad & shocking news coming from the explosion in Vizag's Pharma City.
— Palla Srinivasa Rao #StayHomeSaveLives (@Pallasrinivas4u) July 14, 2020
Deeply saddened and shocked seeing the visuals coming out of Vizag.
I pray that the workers doing the night shift inside the premises come out safely. #VizagPharmaIncident pic.twitter.com/QNq1mJ5NzW
Around six fire trucks were deployed in the region in the early hours of Tuesday. Since May, there have been more than 30 industrial accidents in various parts of the country, killing at least 75 workers and injuring over a hundred.
A recent report, IndustriALL Global Union claimed that there has been an industrial accident at least once every two days, killing and maiming workers after India announced it was unlocking industrial activities. On 7 May, the toxic gas leak at the LG Polymers plant in Andhra Pradesh killed at least 12 while injuring hundreds more.
The boiler explosion at Yashashvi Raasayan Private Limited at Dahej, Gujarat killed at least eight people and injured about 40. Boiler explosions at Neyveli Lignite Corporation’s thermal power plant in Tamil Nadu on 7 May, and again on 1 July, killed at least 20 workers.
