4 perish in Hyderabad drug unit fire

HYDERABAD: A major fire broke out at an illegal drug testing unit, Durga Intermediates, at Jeedimetla on Sunday, killing four people on the spot and leaving six injured. The unit started in 2007 was completely gutted in the fire. Two of the six injured are battling for life with 60 per cent burns.
The fire broke out when a reactor exploded in the ground floor of the three-storied unit on Sunday morning.There were 12 employees working in the unit when the fire broke out. The factories department said the drug unit was operating illegally without a licence. Officials said that two years ago, a fire mishap had occurred at the same company.
Among those killed were employees, Narsimha (32), Raju (35), Ramana (52), Moola Swamy (25). Another four employees, Rambabu, Sriramulu, Venkata Reddy and Somesh were injured in the explosion and shifted to a private hospital at Shahpurnagar.
According to sources, the explosion took place at around 7.15 am when the employees were distilling isopropane alcohol and hydrochloric acid in a steel container. According to Jeedimetla police, the explosion occurred due to the overheating of solvents. The explosion in the reactor led to a series of blasts in the industrial unit with 10 other reactors on the ground floor exploding, since other solvents including methanol, benzene and toluene caught fire after the explosion.
Deputy chief inspector, factories, Mohan Babu said the unit did not have a license. "The factories department did not issue the license as the owner was not following safety precautions," he said. Mohan Babu further stated that the department had booked two cases against the unit in the recent past for violation of rules under the Factories Act, but could not seal the company as the department does not have powers to do so.
It was also found that no cut off mechanisms were available in the industrial unit. "The fire could have been contained had the management installed a mechanism to cut off the reaction," a police official said.
The first call to the control room was received at 8.05 am and 10 fire engines were rushed to the spot. However, the ground floor and parts of the first floor were gutted completely by the time the officials managed to extinguish the fire by 11 am. While the management representative of the industry, Bhupathi Raju Subbaraju is absconding, Jeedimetla police arrested K Narasimha Raju, in-charge supervisor and N Venkat Reddy, production manager of the unit. The factory was sealed and cases were filed against the company's owners under sections 337, 304 A, 338 and 285 of IPC and sections three and five of the Explosives Act.