4 workers killed in fire at private pharma unit in Vizag

Visakhapatnam (AP): 4 workers died and another suffered severe burn injuries following a fire that broke out at a pharmaceutical firm located inside Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City in Anakapalle district of AP, police said on Tuesday. Anakapalle Superintendent of Police Gowthami Sali confirmed the fire accident that happened at Unit-III of Laurus Labs Limited on Monday night. She said they are verifying the cause behind the casualties in the incident. Police officer said the deceased were identified as T Rajesh Babu, R Ram Krishna, B Rambabu and M Venkata Rao. The injured person was Y Satish. The bodies were shifted to the morgue at King George Government Hospital for autopsy while the injured person is said to be recovering at a private hospital. An official of the state factories department said the accident was a result of leakage of toluene, an industrial solvent. Trade union leaders in the industrial township, however, claimed the blaze took place due to an electrical short-circuit when the workers were cleaning the factory.