Two workers died of asphyxiation following an alleged gas leak at a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Gaddapotharam village of Jinnaram mandal in Telangana’s Sangareddy district on Friday morning, police said. The deceased were identified as Sudarshan and Balaji, both from Andhra Pradesh. Their full names and ages have not been disclosed. Police have launched an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine what caused the gas leak.
The incident occurred at a pharmaceutical manufacturing unit that produces active pharmaceutical ingredients and drug intermediates and also provides contract manufacturing services. The number of workers present at the facility when the incident occurred was not immediately known. Authorities have yet to release further details about the circumstances in which the workers were exposed to the gas or whether other employees were affected.
A police official said an investigation was underway to determine how the accident occurred and what led to the suspected gas leak. The precise nature of the gas involved and the sequence of events preceding the deaths have not been established in the information available so far. Further details are awaited as investigators work to establish the cause of the incident.
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In a separate incident on Friday morning, a fire broke out at another pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalli district, raising alarm among workers at the industrial unit. The fire occurred at around 5.30 am in the production block of Unit-15 of Aurobindo Pharma’s plant in Parawada Pharma City, on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam.
Employees reportedly rushed out of the premises as flames spread through the production block. Fire personnel were alerted and reached the site, bringing the blaze under control after considerable effort. Police said no injuries or casualties were reported in the fire. Fire extinguishers were used to contain the flames and prevent the situation from escalating further.
A short circuit or a chemical reaction is suspected to have triggered the fire, but officials have not confirmed the cause. An investigation has been initiated to establish how the incident occurred. Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha spoke by telephone with the Anakapalli district collector and superintendent of police to enquire about the circumstances and the situation at the plant. According to an official statement, she also directed officials to expedite response and relief measures. The two incidents occurred at separate pharmaceutical facilities, and no connection between them has been established.
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