As the police were busy searching for people trapped under debris, they refused to allow family members inside.
Hyderabad:Obul Reddy, a businessman dealing in pharma, was busy showing the photos of his friends on his mobile phone at a helpline counter opened at Sigachi Industries at the main gate of its pharma factory for inquiring their whereabouts.
Obul Reddy’s friends — Nikhil Reddy and his wife — who worked at the Sigachi pharma factory were unreachable and their phones were switched off, causing concerns about their safety.
"I saw news that a blast took place at Sigachi’s pharma factory at Pashamylaram industrial area in Patancheru. We both worked at the plant a few years ago. While I started my own business, my friend and his wife continue to work in the company," Obul Reddy said.
"A year ago, Nikhil got married. His wife is also working in the same company. The couple is not reachable since the blast took place at the company," Obul Reddy said.
Similarly, several people thronged the pharma factory enquiring about the safety of their family members, relatives or friends. As the police were busy searching for people trapped under debris, they refused to allow family members inside.
Sonali Pahaptra, the wife of Prannam Pahapatra, a native of Odisha, came to the accident site along with her children. "My husband has been working at the Sigachi factory for the last few months. He attended the morning shift. While leaving for work, my husband promised to take them out in the evening. We planned to purchase books for my children. Suddenly, I received a call from an acquaintance informing me about the blast," she explained.
Another worker Manoj Kumar Raut, a native of Odisha, is also missing. According to his family members, who came to the place in search of him, "The company staff took my brother's details and informed us that they will call us. We spent hours at the main gate, but the police asked us to leave the place," her brother Pradeep said.
