Blast in VIjayasri Pharma company at Atchutapuram SEZ, Visakhapatnam

In yet another industrial accident in Visakhapatnam, a fire broke out from a blast at a pharmaceutical company on Tuesday morning. The incident took place at Vijayasri Pharma company at Atchutapuram SEZ in the city. Reportedly, no casualties have been reported in the accident.

While it is being suspected that a leakage from the unit’s effluent pipeline might have caused the accident, the exact reason is yet to be ascertained. Panic ensued in the premises of Vijaysri Pharma company in Visakhapatnam as thick fumes emerged from the plant. Two motorbikes, which were parked in the vicinity of the accident spot, have reportedly been gutted in the flames. However, with the fire brigade units dousing the flames and bringing the situation under control quickly, a possibly major accident has been averted. Further details regarding the latest blast in Visakhapatnam are awaited.

Tuesday’s fire accident adds to the series of mishaps that have been rocking Visakhapatnam over the past few months. While it was a fire accident at a container yard near the airport that caused concerns about a week ago, a massive blast at a pharmaceutical company in JN Pharma City at Parawada raised an alarm in mid-July.

In June, gas leak at Sainor Life Sciences pharma company at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City in Visakhapatnam claimed two lives. As per reports, close to 25 employees were inside the company when the gas leak occurred. While two of them lost their lives, four individuals fell sick after inhaling the gas and were rushed to a hospital for treatment.

Earlier in May, a styrene gas leak at LG Polymers in Visakhapatnam caused a national outcry with 12 people losing their lives to the deadly mishap. The accident had raised serious concerns on the safety of residential areas located in the surroundings of an industrial plant.