Sangareddy (Telangana) [India], June 30 (ANI): Director General of the Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services, Y Nagi Reddy, on Monday stated that rescue officials are currently unsure of the number of people trapped under the debris following the blast at the Sigachi Pharma Company in Sangareddy.

He added that, according to industrial experts, the blast occurred during the air handling and drying of Microcrystalline cellulose.

'Today, at around 9.48 am, there was a blast in the drying unit at Sigachi Pharma Company. The explosion led to a fire. A total of 12 people have died and 35 are injured in the incident,' Nagi Reddy told reporters after visiting the accident site.

'As per industrial experts, the incident happened during the air handling/drying of Microcrystalline cellulose. We are currently unsure of the number of people under the debris,' he added.

Rescue operations, including those by NDRF, are currently underway.

Earlier today, Telangana Ministers Venkatswamy and Damodar Raja Narasimha visited the site.

Speaking to the media, Venkatswamy said that currently, 12 people are in critical condition, whose treatment is underway.

'Nearly 63 people reported for work at this factory this morning. Initially, it was said that a reactor blast had occurred in the factory. We have just visited the site, and we now know that it was not a reactor blast,' he said.

'The factory incharge also lost his life in the accident. There is no one here who can tell what exactly happened out of the 63 people who reported here in the morning. We have learned that eight people have died. Right now, four more bodies have been recovered. Twelve people are critical with burn injuries. The remaining 22 people have 20-25% burns and are receiving treatment. We will get more clarity in the next one or two hours,' he added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the explosion and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

In a social media post on X, the Prime Minister's Office wrote, 'Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy at a factory in Sangareddy, Telangana. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.' (ANI)