Prime Highlights

• At least 39 people were killed and 34 workers were injured in a fatal explosion in a Telangana drugs factory.
• Government orders probe and shut down Sigachi Industries plant for 90 days.

Key Facts

• More than 140 employees were within the plant premises when a reactor explosion triggered a huge fire.
• The plant manufactured microcrystalline cellulose, which is used in drug, food, and cosmetics industries.

Key Background

There was a massive industrial tragedy in Telangana’s pharma sector when a fatal explosion and ablaze engulfed the factory of Sigachi Industries, Sangareddy district, on Hyderabad’s outskirts into rubbles. On June 30, 2025, the tragedy has taken at least 39 lives and injured over 34. Initial reports suggest that the explosion took place in the spray dryer section of the plant that resulted in the building’s collapse, which is four-storeyed.

Over 140 employees were said to have been within the blast. Charred bodies were collected by rescue workers, and a minimum of 25 of the dead are still unidentified because they got serious burns. The officials now have no option but to use DNA to identify the bodies. The number of dead increased as two of the injured died while undergoing treatment.

The Telangana state government also formed a five-member fact-finding committee to determine the reason for the fire and hold accountable the responsible people. Sigachi Industries temporarily halted all activities at the factory for 90 days until a thorough safety audit and damage survey after the tragedy. Plant infrastructure and equipment were badly damaged by the blast.

The business was a primary production facility for microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), one of the most popular excipients to be found in pharmaceutical tablets, food processing, and personal care products. The plant itself produced approximately a quarter of the company’s entire output capacity, so the loss represented a serious business downturn.

The Telangana factory fire, which took at least two lives and caused widespread damage to infrastructure, now stands as one of India’s worst industrial tragedies of recent times. The Sigachi explosion was in the wake of increased vigil after an explosion at a Tamil Nadu-based firework-producing factory on the same day, resulting in the deaths of five individuals. The mishap once again raised alarms regarding industrial safety procedures in India’s chemical and pharma industry clusters.