One Injured in Pharmaceutical Plant Blast in India

An explosion followed by fire rocked a pharmaceutical plant Monday night in India’s Andhra Pradesh region, local media report.

One worker suffered burn injuries in the emergency at JN Pharma City in Visakhapatnam that erupted at 10:30 p.m. At least ten fire tenders responded to the scene to prevent the fire spreading to other pharmaceutical plants nearby authorities stated.

Beside the injured worker, three others escaped to safety when flames engulfed their section of the plant. Intense flames made it difficult for firefighters to immediately reach the workers.

The explosion and fire come a month after toxic styrene gas release at a chemical plant in Visakhapatnam killed 11 people and sickened hundreds. With this in mine, panic seized residents in neighborhoods surrounding the pharmaceutical plant.

Emergency personnel were ordered to give priority to evacuating workers on duty at nearby plants.