17 Hurt In Nagarjuna Agrichem Fire Mishap

At least 17 persons were injured and 3 of them are serious, when a major fire broke out in Nagarjuna Agrichem plant at Chilakapalem in Etcherla mandal, Srikakulam district, on Saturday morning.

According to reports, the fire mishap took place after an explosion in the chemical instruments section in the 5th block, which is engaged in the manufacture of agri-chemicals.

All the injured were immediately rushed to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Srikakulam. Among the injured, 3 were shifted to King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam for treatment.

District collector Venkatarami Reddy said there was no loss of lives, but that 17 workers were injured in the explosion. He said that fire tenders from Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts were pressed into service to douse the flames.

He also said that joint collector Bhaskar already commenced relief and rescue operations after reaching the spot.

Stating that the reason for the mishap was yet to be ascertained, Reddy said the district authorities have been evacuating residents of villages in a 10 km radius radius around the plant, amidst rumors of a spread of gases from the plant.

Nagarjuna Agrichem's plant vice-president Rama Raju said that nearly 200 labourers were working in the plant at the time of mishap. However, no loss of life occurred, as the explosion took place during the tea break, stated Rama Raju.

Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock and concern at the fire accident.

In a statement, Naidu said the government must take immediate steps to rescue the workers caught inside the factory, and also provide medical treatment to the injured, in specialized hospitals.

He said that such an explosion indicates the lack of adequate safety measures, and urged the authorities to initiate steps to monitor safety checks in such crucial industries in rural areas. (INN)