Death toll of India's Telangana chemical factory explosion rises to 35, may increase further

NEW DELHI, July 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 35 people were killed and over 30 others injured in a massive explosion inside a chemical factory in the southern Indian state of Telangana, officials said Tuesday.

The death toll swelled due to the recovery of more bodies from the debris during the overnight rescue operation.

The blast took place on Monday in the Pashamylaram industrial area of Patancheru, Sangareddy district, about 48 km northwest of Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana.

According to officials, the blast took place around 9:48 a.m. (local time) on Monday in the microcrystalline cellulose drying unit of the Sigachi chemical industry.

With the majority of the bodies burnt beyond recognition, authorities have brought in a special forensic team from Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad to assist with post-mortems and DNA sample collection.

A senior police official, V Satyanaryana, told the media that around 150 people were present at the time of the explosion inside the factory, with 90 of them in the affected area.

Officials said immediately after the blast, factory authorities informed local police, who in turn alerted the fire department and disaster response force personnel to bring fire under control and carry out a rescue operation.

Authorities so far are not divulging the details as to what triggered the blast. Initially, there was an impression that it was a reactor blast. However, officials later contested the assertion.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy visited the factory site on Tuesday morning along with his ministers to take stock of the situation. He has announced the formation of a committee to investigate the cause of the blast.

Reports said the majority of the victims are migrant workers hailing from the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and announced some monetary relief for the families of victims.

Accidental explosions are common in Indian factories.

Labor union leaders in India often accuse factories of ignoring safety standards relating to workers.