Five workers killed in Sri City boiler blast at TIL Healthcare plant

A boiler explosion at a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in the Sri City Special Economic Zone has killed five workers and left more than ten others injured.

The blast occurred at around 8 am on Saturday at the TIL Healthcare facility in Satyavedu mandal, Tirupati district. The explosion triggered a fast-spreading fire that trapped workers who had just arrived for the morning shift.

Tirupati Superintendent of Police L Subbarayudu confirmed that five people died as a result of the incident. Two workers died instantly at the scene, while another three succumbed to their injuries during treatment.

Four of the victims have been identified as Gourab Roy, 35, Chinna Mastan, 36, Ramesh, 40, and Vasu, 36. Vasu, who was critically injured, died after being rushed to a hospital in Chennai for specialist care. The identity of the fifth victim has not yet been released, and the exact number of workers inside the plant at the time of the blast remains unconfirmed.

The safety investigation

The facility, operated by TIL Healthcare, is a formulations unit that manufactures medicinal tablets. Following the blast, police, emergency services, and industrial safety officials rushed to the facility to secure the premises and search for any trapped personnel.

With rescue operations concluded, the focus has turned to why the disaster occurred. Industrial safety investigators are expected to examine the factory's boiler systems to determine whether the explosion was caused by a technical malfunction, a failure of automated safety valves, or operational lapses.

Local administration officials indicated that the inquiry will likely scrutinise the maintenance logs of the boiler to establish when it was last inspected by the state's boiler department, as well as whether the facility was compliant with regional industrial safety norms.

Government response

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh have expressed grief over the tragedy. Both have directed local officials to ensure the injured receive the best possible medical treatment, promising state support for the affected families.

Home Minister V Anitha also spoke with Tirupati district officials to monitor the situation, confirming that the government will assist the families of the deceased in every possible way.