Blast at Andhra's Anakapalli pharma unit, police say no casualties

Rambilli (Andhra Pradesh), Jan 3 (PTI) A blast occurred at SVS Pharma in Anakapalli on Saturday, with no deaths or injuries reported so far, police said.

Anakapalli Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha said the explosion took place between 4.15 pm and 4.30 pm at the pharmaceutical company located in the Rambilli Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

"The blast occurred at SVS Pharmaceutical Company in the Rambilli SEZ area of Anakapalli district," Sinha told PTI.

According to police, around 10 people were inside the premises at the time of the blast, and all of them managed to come out safely.

"We are verifying the list of workers and contacting them to ensure everyone is safe," the SP said, adding that eight fire engines were deployed to douse the flames and bring the fire under control.

Factories and boilers inspectors have been roped in to ascertain the cause of the incident, police said.

Though a large volume of smoke was seen from the site, Sinha said no untoward incident had occurred.

As a precautionary measure, nearby industrial units were also evacuated, he added. PTI STH SSK