Fire breaks out at pharmaceutical unit in Visakhapatnam district; no casualties reported

A major fire broke out following an explosion at a pharmaceutical unit near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on Monday night, police sources said.

The incident triggered panic among the residents in the Paravada area as it came just a couple of months after styrene vapour leak in the LG Polymers plant in the region.

An explosion was first heard at the Pharma City, following which there was a huge fire, according to sources.

#BREAKING:
Blast at #Visakhapatnam district.
A massive fire broke out in an industrial unit, Pharma city in #parawada. @ndtv pic.twitter.com/kMsTrmNFA2

— Journalist Rafi (@JournalistRafi) July 13, 2020

No casualties have been reported so far, and the fire and emergency services personnel could not immediately reach the spot as the blaze has engulfed the area, police sources said.

The explosion is said to have occurred in the unit of Ramky Solvents and the cause of the incident is not yet known, according to sources. Further details are awaited.

Last month, a gas leak incident in one of the companies in Pharma City left two workers dead and four injured.