Telangana Pharma Factory Blast: Death Toll Rises To 42; DNA Identification Underway

The tragic aftermath of the explosion at a pharmaceutical unit in Telangana’s Sangareddy district has the official death toll rise to 42 as per the latest report.

A suspected reactor blast on Monday (30 June) led to an explosion and fire at Sigachi Chemical Industry in Pashamylaram.

State Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha told reporters that approximately 90 employees were present in the factory when the incident occurred.

Area Hospital, Patancheru, received charred remains of victims throughout the night, while rescue efforts were hampered by overnight rainfall at the factory premises.

Given the condition of the remains, hospital staff began collecting DNA samples late Monday night to assist in victim identification, according to The Hindu report.

“DNA tests were conducted on around 20 bodies overnight. We are continuing the process of collecting and storing samples. Once the DNA matches are confirmed with their relatives, the bodies will be handed over for transportation to their respective native places,” said Dr Srinivas Reddy, Superintendent of Area Hospital, Patancheru.

A special forensic team from Osmania General Hospital has joined the effort to assist in post-mortems and DNA collection. So far, autopsies have been completed on 15 bodies, with only four victims identified. The remaining require DNA profiling to establish identities.

“The DNA collected is being sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for profiling and comparison with reference samples from family members to confirm identities. Telangana has not witnessed a mass casualty of this scale in recent times. This is going to be an extremely demanding task for all of us,” said one of the attending doctors.

Senior health officials, including Director of Medical Education Dr A Narendra Kumar and TVVP Commissioner Dr Ajaya Kumar, have remained stationed at the hospital, coordinating efforts and monitoring the evolving situation.

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