Boiler Blast Kills Five Workers at Andhra Pharma Plant

Two workers died at the scene, and three more later died in hospital. More than 10 people were injured when a boiler exploded at TIL Healthcare’s drug plant in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday morning. The blast started a fire and brought police, firefighters and rescue teams to the site. The death toll rose from four to five after Tirupati Superintendent of Police L. Subbarayudu confirmed the later count. ^2,5

The explosion happened around 8 a.m. at the plant’s medicines unit in Satyavedu mandal, as workers were on duty during a shift change. Reports differ on whether night-shift staff were leaving or morning-shift staff were starting work, but both place workers inside the factory when the boiler blew. Emergency crews took the injured to hospitals, including one within Sri City. The cause has not been established, and officials are checking for a possible equipment fault. ^1,2

That uncertainty matters because the blast struck a busy industrial zone, not an isolated workshop. Sri City is a large special economic zone with more than 250 companies, including drug firms. The explosion also damaged the plant and left workers and families facing injury, loss and uncertainty about what happened. Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh expressed grief and asked officials to provide the injured with the best available care and support the families of those killed. ^12,29

The next step is the official inquiry into the boiler and the plant’s safety conditions. Authorities are also working to confirm how many workers were present when the blast happened and identify everyone affected. The exact cause remains unknown, so no account can yet say whether equipment failure or another factor led to the explosion. ^2,15