Visakhapatnam: A worker died while three others suffered burn injuries when a reactor exploded at the GMFC pharma labs in Atchutapuram pharma SEZ in Anakapalle district on Tuesday. This was the second such incident in a month.
The blast triggered a fire and huge smoke billowed from the pharma unit. The workers within the factory fled the spot in panic. The deceased was Rama Rao (27). The injured were shifted to a private hospital and the condition of the injured persons was stated stable.
The Parawada police said the fire was brought under control. On a verification of the duty chart, it was found the other workers of the pharma unit were safe.
Though the management claimed that an electrical short-circuit caused the mishap, a preliminary inquiry revealed that the blast took place when methanol was transferred to a reactor. The negligence of the management was the reason for the mishap, as high-density polyethylene pipes were used for transferring the methanol instead of conductive pipes, said Inspector of Factories, V. Suresh.
Four persons had died and another received burn injuries when an explosion followed by a fire engulfed the unit 3 of Laurus Laboratory in JN Pharma City on December 27.
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