Telangana: Two workers die in gas leak at Saraca Laboratories in Sangareddy

Two workers from Andhra Pradesh died following a gas leak at Saraca Laboratories Limited in Sangareddy district early Friday. Former Minister T Harish Rao demanded action over alleged safety violations and sought compensation for the victims' families

Sangareddy: A chloroform leak proved fatal for two workers at a chemical laboratory in the Gaddapotharam Industrial Area on Thursday night. The incident was reported at Saraca Laboratories, which manufactures medicines for ulcer treatment.

Chloroform started leaking at around 11 pm on Thursday, leaving two workers working close to the spot unconscious and six others seriously ill. When they were rushed to a local hospital, the two workers, Panga Sudharshan Rao (43) and Keelaparthi Balaji (29), both natives of Andhra Pradesh, were declared dead.

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The remaining six workers were undergoing treatment at a private hospital. However, their condition was said to be critical. Meanwhile, the Factories Department was examining the incident to ascertain the cause of the chloroform leak.

Expressing shock over the incident, former Minister T Harish Rao demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the family of each deceased worker.

Rao also demanded that the government ascertain the cause of the incident and initiate action against the management if any violation of safety protocols in operating the industry was found.

Meanwhile, Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy visited the industry and enquired about the incident.

He spoke to the families of the deceased and the workers who were on duty at the time of the incident. Following his intervention, the management agreed to pay Rs 70 lakh as compensation to the family of each deceased worker.

The police registered a case, and the investigation was underway.