At least 15 injured in reactor explosion at Andhra Pradesh chemical factory

At least 15 people were injured after an explosion in a reactor at the Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalle district on Wednesday.

The blast occurred at the Escientia Chemical Factory in Rambilli, leading to a fire at the facility. The injured workers were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, said Deepika, Anakapalle's Superintendent of Police.

Escientia is a biotechnology company that deals in the development, and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products. The US-based company was founded in 2007 and operates two units in India, according to the information available on its website. It has a development hub in Hyderabad, Telangana, and the accident-hit pharmaceutical manufacturing park, located in Visakhapatnam.
 

According to reports, a rescue and relief operation is currently underway. Emergency services, including ambulances and police teams were dispatched to the accident site to assist with the rescue efforts. Visuals from the scene showed thick smoke billowing from the factory while an ambulance made its way inside. A number of people were seen outside in a state of panic.
 

Local media HMTV News Live reported that fire tenders were actively working to extinguish the blaze. Another report said that a more severe disaster had been averted as the incident occurred during lunchtime, reducing the number of people present at the factory.

Atchutapuram SEZ is the major special economic zone of Andhra Pradesh located in Visakhapatnam. The SEZ is spread over an area of 5595.47 acres of land in Atchutapuram and Rambilli districts. It was notified as a SEZ by the Centre in 2007.