42 dead, 8 still missing in Sigachi pharma plant explosion
Hyderabad: The death toll in devastating explosion at the Sigachi Industries' pharma plant explosion in Sangareddy district, Telangana, has climbed to 42, officials confirmed on Sunday.
One more injured victim, who suffered burns, succumbed in hospital on Sunday, while another’s death was confirmed through DNA profiling, a senior police official told PTI.
Eight people remain missing, bones and body parts from the blast site are still recovering from the blast site. Samples are undergoing testing at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in hopes of matching remains with those reported missing.
"There are samples at the FSL (Forensic Science Lab). Yesterday also bones were recovered and today other body parts were found (from the explosion site) and if they match (in DNA tests with family members) then the missing persons count will reduce further," he said on Sunday.
The official said the mortal remains of 40 persons were handed over to their family members.
Eighteen people were undergoing treatment in hospitals as of Sunday, while 14 injured persons were discharged earlier.
As previously reported by the Medical Dialogues team,143 workers were present in the plant at the time of the explosion and most of the deceased were from Odisha, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
Following the explosion, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy assured that the state government will work closely with the company management to ensure a compensation of Rs 1 crore is paid to the kin of the deceased. The CM also said those who are seriously injured will receive Rs 10 lakh, while those who are injured but can resume work after some recovery will be provided Rs 5 lakh. Also, the state government will pay Rs 1 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured to meet any immediate and emergency expenses. Reddy further said the medical expenses for the injured would be borne by the state government and Sigachi. He asserted that action will be taken against those responsible for the unfortunate incident.
Read also: Pashamylaram Pharma blast kills 36; CM announces Rs 1 crore compensation
In the aftermath, Telangana's government also issued orders constituting a committee of experts to discover the causes and establish the sequence of events that led to the incident.
Read also: Telangana sets up experts panel to probe Sigachi unit explosion that killed 38
