Explosion disaster at a pharmaceutical facility in Visakhapatnam, India

Abstract

An industrial accident at a red category Escientia Advanced Sciences Pharmaceutical Company at Anakapalli district on 21^st August claimed 17 lives due to blast injuries and 36 others sustained various degrees of thermal injuries. A Methyl-tert butyl ether (MTBE) heavy solvent leak while transiting from the second floor to the storage tank on the ground floor resulted in a vapour cloud around the power panel located there and ignited.  The fire then spread through the ducts of the air handling unit to four other modules in the production block. Thick smoke and flames engulfed the facility, hampering rescue operations. 14 fire tenders and 50 fire personnel fought the blaze for an hour before arresting the blaze and preventing it from reaching the higher floors. Skylift, boom lifts and cranes were deployed by firefighters to break the plate glass windows and extricate 13 trapped workers. Around 380 employees work two shifts at the plant and most of them escaped because they were on lunch break when the explosion started the conflagration. The injured were treated at the NTR and private hospital at Anakapalli and the evacuated to tertiary hospital in the city and the Government Medical College at Visakhapatnam. No trauma or burns centre are available at the special economic zone housing the pharma city where 120 industrial accidents and equivalent number of deaths have been reported over the past five years. A detailed enquiry has been ordered into the incident by the State Government.