A blast in a reactor in the bulk drugs unit of Hetero Drugs Limited at Nakkapalli in the district due to building up of pressure claimed two lives and injured four others on Saturday. According to company sources, the mishap occurred between 5 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. on the second floor of the ‘C’ Block. There were four employees at the site, two of them died in the blast and the other two who were seriously injured were shifted to a hospital here. Two casual workers were also injured.
Narsipatnam RDO Vasantarayulu told mediapersons at Nakkapalli that the company had identified the victims as B Jayadheer Rao of Sattupalli, who worked as chemist, and K Tirupati Rao of Makkuva, technician.
The critically injured have been identified as G Venkat Rao and KG Papa Rao. Two others who are being treated at the same hospital are Chintala Demudu and M Naveen, both casual workers.
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According to an eyewitness, the 20 persons who work at the site had gone to the canteen and escaped unhurt. This is the first time a mishap has occurred in the unit that went on stream in 2007, according to company sources. Minister for Tribal Welfare P. Balaraju and district Collector V. Seshadri visited the hospital. Minister for Infrastructure and Investments Ganta Srinivasa Rao asked the Collector and Factories Department officials to take up relief measures. He is expected to visit the plant on Sunday morning. Mr. Balaraju said if required they would suspend the licence of Hetero Drugs Limited, which owns the Pharma City. He indicated that Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy might visit the accident spot on Sunday en route to Gollaprolu.