4 workers killed in fire at private pharma unit in Andhra Pradesh

Visakhapatnam, December 27

Four workers died and another suffered severe burns following a fire that broke out at a pharmaceutical firm located inside Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City in Anakapalle district of Andhra Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.

Anakapalle Superintendent of Police Gowthami Sali confirmed the fire that happened at Unit III of Laurus Labs Limited on Monday night. However, she said they are verifying the cause behind the casualties.

The police officer said the deceased were identified as T Rajesh Babu, R Ram Krishna, B Rambabu and M Venkata Rao. The injured person was Y Satish.

The bodies were shifted to the morgue at King George Government Hospital for autopsy while the injured person is said to be recovering at a private hospital.

An official of the state factories department said the accident was the result of a leakage of toluene, an industrial solvent. When the workers were trying to arrest the leakage, the chemical caught fire engulfing the place.

Trade union leaders in the industrial township, however, claimed the blaze took place due to an electrical short-circuit when the workers were cleaning the factory. They alleged that the management of various pharmaceutical firms in JN Pharma City have been ignoring safety norms for long.