Two workers were charred to death while two others sustained serious injuries when a major fire broke out at a plastic pyrolysis oil manufacturing unit in Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City at Parawada in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalli district on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam city early on Tuesday, police said.
<figure class="art
The deceased were identified as Venkatesh (24) and Trinadh (27), both residents of Atchutapuram in Anakapalli district.
Parawada inspector of police Lenka Bhaskar Rao told reporters that according to preliminary investigation, fire erupted at the factory owned privately by a company engaged in manufacturing plastic pyrolysis oil and carbon black, after a storage tank reportedly exploded during the process of recycling plastic waste into oil.
“The explosion triggered a massive blaze that spread rapidly through the facility, fuelled by large quantities of plastic material stored on the premises. Several workers managed to escape, but some were trapped inside as flames engulfed parts of the plant,” he said.
Also Read:Punjab driver charred to death as tempo catches fire near Mumbai
Two workers were charred to death in the incident, while two others suffered serious injuries.
Police, along with fire and emergency services personnel, pressed into action to carry out rescue operations.
“Considering the gravity of the situation, two fire engines from the Pharma City Fire Station and one from the Parawada Fire Station were deployed. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly four hours before bringing it completely under control,” the inspector said.
Expressing deep anguish over the accident, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu spoke with senior district officials to review the situation. He conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and assured them of all possible support from the government.
“Naidu directed district authorities to provide immediate assistance to the injured and ensure they receive the best possible medical treatment. He also instructed officials to maintain strict safety standards in industrial areas and ordered a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the accident to prevent similar incidents in the future,” an official statement from the chief minister’s office said.
Deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan also expressed grief over the loss of lives and sought details of the incident from Anakapalli district collector Vijay Krishnan.
State home minister Vangalapudi Anitha reviewed the situation by speaking with Anakapalli superintendent of police Tuhin Sinha. She directed officials to expedite rescue and relief measures, ensure quality medical care for the injured, and provide support to the affected families.
