Hyderabad: Distraught relatives of Nikhil Reddy and Sriramya, who recently got married, fear the worst as they wait in bated breath for the couple’s DNA test results following the deadly chemical explosion at Sangareddy’s Sigachi Industries’ pharma plant.
The couple were employees and were on the site at the time of the powerful explosion that has so far claimed 45 lives.
Hailing from Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh, Nikhil and Sriramya entered wedlock in Arya Samajam. They had planned to hold a traditional Andhra wedding ceremony for their loved ones.
But their happiness was drastically cut short. There has been no news of their whereabouts since the blast, relatives say.
On Tuesday, rescue operations continued in an effort to locate survivors and recover human remains. As many as 35 people are undergoing treatment in different hospitals. The condition of 10 of them is said to be critical.
According to witnesses, the explosion’s impact was so severe that workers were tossed in the air and fell several meters away. The manufacturing unit in the factory collapsed under the impact of the blast, while fire spread to the adjoining building within the factory premises.
There are reports that a suspected reactor explosion triggered the blast and fire at the chemical factory.
On Tuesday, chief minister A Revanth Reddy, accompanied by ministers Sridhar Babu, Damodara Raja Narasimha, G Vivek and P Rsinivasa Redd,y visited the factory blast site and reviewed the situation with senior officials.
He announced an ex- gratia of Rs 1 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured as aid. He clarified that the amount is not compensation. “We will ensure that the families of those who died in the explosion receive a compensation of Rs 1 crore from the Sigachi Pharma company,” the CM added.
