Atchutapuram: A suspected solvent leak is believed to have sparked a devastating fire in a pharmaceutical unit in Andhra Pradesh, which claimed the lives of 17 people, according to officials on Thursday. Anakapalli District Collector Vijaya Krishnan confirmed that the death toll remained at 17 following the tragic incident on Wednesday.

While the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, preliminary assessments suggest that a solvent leak from a pipe may have fallen onto an electrical panel, igniting the blaze. Though initial reports indicated the fire was caused by a reactor blast, officials clarified that the fire likely erupted when solvent oil being transferred between floors leaked, leading to an explosion.

The Deputy Chief Minister’s office reported the sequence of events via a social media post, explaining that the explosion followed the leak and caused extensive damage.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is set to visit the accident site and meet with those injured in the fire. His schedule includes a visit to a private hospital in Visakhapatnam, where the injured workers are being treated, and an inspection of the site at Escientia Advanced Sciences Pvt Ltd, the pharmaceutical company where the tragedy occurred.

Several family members of the victims are still waiting anxiously outside the pharma plant, desperate for information about their loved ones. In a heart-wrenching plea, a young girl told a local news channel, "I want my father back and this company gone," referring to her father who worked at the plant. Another victim's sister expressed frustration over not being shown where her brother was, while a grieving elderly woman begged for the return of her son-in-law.

The scene at the site of the accident was described as horrifying, with injured workers being rushed to hospitals in ambulances, their skin severely burned and bloodied. The fire broke out at 2:15 pm on Wednesday at Escientia Advanced Science Pvt Ltd, a company that specializes in the production of intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).

Escientia Advanced Sciences Pvt Ltd began its operations in April 2019 with an investment of Rs 200 crore. The company is located on a 40-acre site within the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation's multi-product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Atchutapuram cluster.

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