Workers from nearby factories said that what has changed since the blast is that they got bare minimum safety equipment, like helmets and lab coats
Hyderabad: The stench was unmistakable. One can smell it from a kilometre away. A thick chemical stink hits long before the building comes into view. Closer to the site, it sharpens. In some patches, it smells like ammonia. Elsewhere, like burnt plastic and metal. The ground still emits smoke in parts. Patches of grey. A chemical burn in the air. Workers from nearby factories said that what has changed since the blast is that they got bare minimum safety equipment, like helmets and lab coats.
“We are all migrant workers here, coming from other states. What happened is scary, but what can we do? We have to earn our livelihoods,” said one of the workers in the neighbouring factories, who said he ran away when he saw the blast. “The contractor calls when work is available and we come over. This is how it has always been.”
The workers here are all on contract. Most of them note that they work for 12 to 13 hours a day and make a remuneration of around 20,000 per month. “There is no fixed timing. You work till they tell you to stop,” said another man. When asked about safety checks or fire drills, most looked blank.
Fire officer Nageshwar Rao confirmed that another body was found on Wednesday morning. “We found the body today on the top of the building,” he said. “That makes it 37 so far. Eighteen are identified. Others, not yet.” However, earlier the same day, Sigachi Industries Pvt Ltd informed that 40 died in their press release, the first one since the day of the blast on June 30.
Nothing has moved much at Sigachi Industries since the explosion. The crowds have thinned slightly; however, families of those missing remain at the site in the hope of some news. Devdas, who has been trying to find his brother’s son, keeps circling the site. “This is my tenth visit. I have stayed for hours at a stretch. He was the only son in the family. Nobody seems to have answers.”
The rescue teams say work is ongoing. The families say they’ve stopped believing what they are told. “They said two days for the blood report. Then three. Then nothing. What do we do?” asked Devdas.
