Telangana’s deadliest plant disaster: Blast at Sigachi kills over 30, dozens trapped. Here's what we know

At least 37 workers are dead and dozens more injured after a powerful explosion tore through the Sigachi Industries chemical plant in Telangana’s Medak district Monday morning—marking the worst industrial disaster in the state’s history.

The blast, which occurred between 8:15 and 9:35 am on June 30, flattened the multi-storey facility in Pashamylaram, igniting a massive fire and leaving the site in rubble. Rescue teams from the NDRF, SDF, fire department, and local authorities are continuing efforts to retrieve bodies and search for survivors trapped beneath the debris.

Most of the dead are migrant workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Over 35 others have been injured, and several remain missing.

Preliminary investigations suggest the explosion originated in the dryer unit of the plant’s quality control section. Officials say a malfunction in the air handling or MCC (Microcrystalline Cellulose) drying system may have triggered the blast. MCC is a pharmaceutical filler product used in tablet manufacturing.

The Telangana government has launched a high-level probe into the incident. A special committee will investigate the exact cause and recommend reforms to industrial safety protocols.

“This is a tragedy of unprecedented scale,” said a senior state official. “We will not allow such a failure of oversight to go unpunished.”

Sigachi Industries has not yet issued a detailed statement, but authorities have begun examining whether safety violations or negligence played a role. The accident adds to a growing list of reactor-related mishaps in the region, fueling calls for stricter regulatory enforcement across Telangana’s industrial belts.