Latest news with #SigachiIndustries'
Hans India
06-07-2025
- Hans India
Two more die, death toll in Telangana pharma unit blast rises to 42
The death toll in the fire and explosion at Sigachi Industries Ltd's manufacturing unit in Pashamylaram near Hyderabad rose to 42 on Sunday. Two of the injured workers succumbed while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Patancheru on Sunday. Sigachi Industries, in a statement on Sunday night, said that it is saddened to share the loss of two more team members since July 4, taking the death toll to 42. Of the 33 injured team members, 14 have now recovered and been discharged from the hospital, while 18 continue to be under medical attention in various hospitals, it said. Eight team members are still missing. Of the 143 members present on-site during the time of the accident, 61 are safe, the company statement added. Setup in 1989, Sigachi Industries' Pashamylaram plant has been incident-free for 36 years. It is an ISO 45001:2018 certified facility and follows stringent safety and compliance measures. 'Since the time of the accident, we have been coordinating the emergency response, family support, and extending cooperation with the investigation and compliance efforts,' the company said. A major explosion occurred in the manufacturing plant of Sigachi Industries at Pashamylaram, Patancheru Mandal, Sangareddy district on June 30. The plant manufactures Microcrystalline Cellulose powder, which is used in tablets and capsules as a binding agent. Rescue teams found 30 pieces of human remains at the site, and they were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Hyderabad, for DNA analysis. According to officials at Patancheru Government Hospital, of the 24 DNA samples collected so far, 22 bodies have been identified and handed over to their families. The deceased hailed from Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Authorities are sending the bodies in ambulances to their native places with police escort. Two police constables are accompanying each body. Personnel from Fire Services, SDRF, HYDRAA and police continued combing through the debris for human remains. Officials said they will continue the operation till they find all remains. Sigachi Industries has already announced Rs 1 crore compensation each to the families of the deceased. It also announced that it would bear all the expenditure towards the treatment of the injured and provide them all the support.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Time of India
After four days of wait, woman gets hubby's body; cremates it in Hyderabad
1 2 Berhampur: After waiting for four days, Sonali Mohapatra (31) on Saturday got the body of her husband, Prasant Mohapatra, who died at the Sigachi Industries' unit in Telangana. His body was cremated in Hyderabad instead of being brought to Kurigaon in Ganjam district's Chhatarpur block. "We were so disturbed after his death, we decided to cremate the body in Hyderabad. I am very worried about the future of my three children," said Sonali. Prasant was among three persons from Ganjam and nine from Odisha, who died in the explosion. The couple has two sons, aged 13 and 10 years, and a six-year-old daughter. Telangana govt has already provided Rs 1 lakh to the family members of each deceased. Odisha govt has announced to pay Rs 10 lakh. The body of Sidharth Gouda (19) arrived in an ambulance at Podingi village in Hinjili block late on Friday evening. Sidharth was working in the factory for the last four months. On July 2, the body of Jagan Mohana (56), of Chhatrapur was brought in an ambulance after the deceased's family identified the body. The family members of the deceased, his wife Vijayalaxmi (50) and two sons, who are living in Hyderabad for over two decades, accompanied the body. Sameer Kumar Padhy of Baharapur under Dharakote block, who sustained around 30% to 35% injuries is undergoing treatment in the ICU. His condition is gradually improving, said Papu Kumar Choudhury, his brother-in-law.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Time of India
Telangana factory blast: Toll of Odisha workers rises to 9
Bhubaneswar: Authorities on Saturday confirmed the death of one more worker from the state in the blast at the Sigachi Industries' unit in Telangana, taking the toll of Odisha workers to nine. The deceased was identified as Purbachandra Sahoo, a native of Sukarpada in Cuttack. Initially, four workers from Odisha were confirmed to have died in the explosion, which occurred earlier this week, with five others reported missing. Subsequent DNA testing confirmed the deaths of four more workers on Thursday, and another on Saturday. CM Mohan Charan Majhi has announced ex gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. All nine families have received the amount. The four individuals identified on Thursday are Chaitu Bhadra and Ramesh Gouda from Nabarangpur district, Siddharth Gouda from Mahanandpur in Ganjam, and Prashant Mohapatra from Berhampur, Ganjam. The first four victims identified were Rajnala Jagan Mohan from Ganjam, Lagnajeet Duari from Cuttack, Manoj Rout from Balasore and Dolagobinda Sahu from Jajpur. The explosion has claimed a total of 39 lives. Families of the deceased have called for stringent action against the company, citing negligence and safety lapses. Four more workers from Odisha who sustained injuries in the blast are receiving treatment at various hospitals in Telangana.
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Business Standard
03-07-2025
- Business Standard
T'gana plant explosion: Nine people missing, expert committee to visit site
As many as nine people are still missing in the explosion at the Sigachi Industries' pharma plant in Pashamylaram that claimed at least 38 lives and left 35 injured, and efforts are on to trace the missing people, Superintendent of Police (SP) of this district, Paritosh Pankaj, said on Thursday. Meanwhile, the expert committee appointed by the state government to ascertain the causes and establish the sequence of events that led to the explosion is expected to visit the site on Thursday. The panel should submit a detailed report with specific suggestions and recommendations, within a month, to the government. The committee will be headed by Dr B Venkateswar Rao, Emeritus Scientist, at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. A senior official of the district said some injured who are undergoing treatment in various hospitals are likely to be discharged today. "Death toll remains at 38. Nine people are missing. But maybe today or tomorrow, once we get the reports of bones and other things from FSL (Forensic Science Lab), then things will be clear," SP Pankaj told PTI. He said 90 per cent of the debris removal was over and is not anticipating any bodies to surface further. He, however, said some human remains may surface, and as and when they come up, they will be sent for examination. Amit Raj Sinha, Managing Director & CEO of Sigachi, on Wednesday denied the allegations that the firm had used old machinery. Sigahci announced a solatium of Rs 1 crore each to the kin of the deceased. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Hindu
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Operating the Sigachi plant for 35 years without a single incident, says MD
Two days after a deadly explosion at Sigachi Industries' manufacturing unit in Pashamylaram, Hyderabad, which claimed at least 40 lives and left many injured, the cause of the blast remains unclear. The company on Wednesday denied that a reactor explosion was to blame. Highly placed sources in the State government, citing preliminary assessments, pointed to multiple safety lapses: a lack of adequate entry and exit points for workers, poor ventilation and alleged violations of setback norms, with the company reportedly utilising almost the entire land parcel. A senior official said the company was under the scanner and a government department had issued notices as recent as December 2024. The official, however, did not elaborate on whether the company responded or took any corrective action. Labour Minister G. Vivekanand told The Hindu that the government would convene a meeting with representatives of pharma companies to review safety protocols in the wake of the explosion. The focus now is to ensure that all Red Category industries have adequately trained personnel handling each department, he said. In a written response to The Hindu's queries, Sigachi Industries maintained that it had all the required permissions and permits to operate. 'We have been operating this plant for 35 years without a single incident,' the company stated. On government officials' observations as well as the FIR in the case highlighting alleged laxity on the part of the company to upgrade to new equipment, the company said the unit is one of the earliest plants that Sigachi commissioned. 'Over the years, Sigachi has continuously invested in retrofitting, equipment upgrades, structural reinforcements and compliance-based audits to ensure the facility meets both national and international safety standards. We are devastated by this [incident], given this record,' the company said. The Hyderabad unit has been certified ISO 45001:2018 international standard for occupational health and safety management systems that helps businesses create a safer and healthier workplace. As part of the certification, regular audits are conducted. 'There were no mission-critical non-conformities found that could lead to safety concerns or issues,' Sigachi said without mentioning when the last audit was conducted. It said an internal safety review has been initiated and Sigachi remains committed to cooperating with all legal, safety, and regulatory audits to strengthen safety norms. All learnings will be incorporated to reinforce and redesign the safety framework, it said. Speaking to media at the site, Sigachi MD and CEO Amit Raj Sinha said the plant building is old but the equipment inside are being constantly upgraded. On the cause behind the incident, he said it seems to be dust explosion in dryer section. The company has three such facilities in the country and no solvents were used in them, he added. thanked Chief Minister Reddy and Health, Labour and Industries Ministers, the local MLA, District Collector and officials for their 'unconditional support'. To queries, he said there were 143 employees at the plant during the incident and the company is in the process of collating the number of contract workers. The company is paying hospital bills of those injured and its executives were stationed at all the hospitals to provide assistance to the families of those deceased and injured, he said.
