Sigachi Pharma blast: Bodies charred, devastated kin await identification at mortuary

Nishanth, a resident of Penikalapadu village in Jammalamadugu constituency, tells The Federal Telangana that his brother Nikhil and sister-in-law Ramya got married recently. Nikhil was just 33 and had recently joined a job.

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Like Nishant, several other families are sitting outside the hospital, wailing and crying, while enduring the painful wait to hear that their loved ones are no more. As many as 43 people are still unaccounted for in the disaster.

Pall of grief shrouds families

The cries of family members at the hospital and near the factory are heart-wrenching. It is not known whether the missing are dead or trapped alive under the rubble of the blast.

Sources say the temperature during the blast reached 700 to 800 degrees Celsius, turning many bodies to cinders. DNA tests with family members will be needed to identify the victims, and these test results will take 24 to 48 hours.

Thirty-five bodies are currently in the Patancheru Government Hospital mortuary, many of them burnt beyond recognition. Based on the duty rosters, families have been informed about the incident. Most of the dead are said to be from Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, with fewer from Telugu states. Many women have lost their husbands, some children their fathers, and parents their sons.

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‘Factory was warned about safety issues’

The blast was so powerful that it brought down a three-storey building like a deck of cards, leaving a pile of rubble behind. The air at the explosion site is thick, filled with the stench of burning plastic and industrial chemicals.

The factory manufactures microcrystalline cellulose powder, and the smoke is acrid and irritating to the eyes and throat. The plant was established around 40 years ago by owners from Gujarat. According to the Chief Minister, A Revanth Reddy, the factory had been warned by officials about safety issues, and a company representative admitted in the chief minister’s presence that they had received and signed that document — yet the tragedy occurred. This highlights the depth of negligence.

“It’s difficult even to walk over the debris for fear that any pressure could harm potential survivors trapped underneath,” said a rescue worker.

Hope against hope

No one knows exactly how the accident happened — or if they do, they’re not speaking. Families don’t know what became of their loved ones — whether they perished, were burned to ash, or crushed under rubble. Many still cling to hope that some may be alive under the debris. They also hope that their relatives’ bodies aren’t among those lying in the Patancheru Government Hospital. It’s with this hope that Nishanth waits for news about his brother and sister-in-law.

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The tragedy is the biggest industrial disaster in Hyderabad’s pharmaceutical history.

45 dead, rescue underway

When this report was filed, the death toll had already reached 45. Rescue operations continue at the site, and with some of the injured in critical condition at hospitals, the death toll is expected to go up. Teams from Hydra, Singareni, Disaster Management, and the Fire Department are engaged in the rescue efforts.

At the time of the accident, there were 143 skilled and unskilled workers on duty. Thirty-four were seriously injured and shifted immediately to local hospitals. Rescue workers are racing against time to find any survivors from the rubble. Around 29 bodies are unrecognisable, six bodies have been identified so far, and 17 people are still missing. Fifty-seven people managed to escape safely from the accident.

(The story was first published in The Federal Telangana)