Huge fire breaks out in Vizag Pharma City

A man died and four others were injured in a massive fire that broke out at Visakha Solvents plant at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City in Parwada on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam on Monday night.

Loud explosions and fire at a solvent firm sent panic in the area.

One company worker sustained injury. Officials said four persons were present at the site when the fire broke and three of them came out safely while one sustained burn injuries.

The fire tenders could not reach closer to the scene of the disaster due to a series of explosions. Officials fear that the fire may spread to other units.

Visakhapatnam district collector Vinay Chand and other senior officials rushed to the scene and were supervising the firefighting operations.

"We have mobilized nine fire tenders and are trying to control the fire," the district collector said.

Huge flames could be seen from a long distance. Residents of some residential areas near the cluster were moving to safe places

The incident occurred two weeks after a gas leak from a pharmaceutical unit in Pharma City, which claimed the lives of two people and affected four others.

The incident occurred at Sainor Life Sciences Private Limited on June 29.

This was the second industrial disaster to strike the port city in less than two months.

The gas leak incident came close on the heels of the May 7 disaster at LG Polymers plant at Venkatapuram. Styrene gas leak from the plan had claimed the lives of 15 people and affected around 500 in the surrounding villages.