June 29, 2024 6:57 AM.
In Telangana, at least five persons died and 14 others were injured after a blast in a glass factory at Shadnagar area in Ranga Reddy district last evening. The injured workers have been shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment. The pressure of gas in the compressor furnace is suspected to have led to the blast leading to a massive fire.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident, and directed the concerned department to work together in a coordinated manner to carry out the relief work.
Expressing shock over the incident, BRS working president KT Rama Rao appealed to the state government to immediately conduct a thorough safety audit and review disaster management plans in all industrial areas to prevent such incidents.
Police officials said that the workers were migrants from Bihar, UP and Odisha.Officials added that the workers closest to the compressor at the time of the accident were killed on the spot in the explosion that occurred at around 4.30 pm. The impact was such that police and fire brigade officials found limbs and bodies scattered at the blast site. Both the dead and the injured were covered in a layer of the dust of debris as the compressor broke into two.
The dead have been identified as Prakash, 35, Chitaranjan, 31, (both from Bihar), Nikith Kumar, 22, and Ram Sethu, 24, (from UP) and Rashikanth,25, of Odisha. Although the exact cause of the accident was not known till Friday evening, sources said excessive pressure may have built up in the compressor causing the explosion.
Police officials said that at least 30 workers were in the factory, run by South Glass Pvt Ltd, when the explosion took place.
Many of them managed to escape without getting hurt or with minor injuries.“The victims died after being hit by the flying parts of the compressor. Company officials told us that excessive pressure in the compressor may have caused the blast but we are looking from all angles,”