India: Telangana chemical factory blast toll rises to 35

Blast on Monday turned parts of the building into rubble

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Telangana chemical factory blast: Death toll rises to 32
Telangana chemical factory blast: Death toll rises to 32
IANS

The death toll from a powerful explosion at an Indian chemical factory has risen to 35, as search and rescue operations continued for a second day Tuesday, officials said.

The blast in Sangareddy in India's southern Telangana state on Monday turned parts of the building into rubble. 

State Chief Minister Revanth Reddy visited the site on Tuesday, with a video released by his office showing piles of twisted metal in the wreckage of the factory.

Reddy's office said a committee was investigating the cause of the explosion, but a government official, who asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak to media, said that "at least 35 people" had been killed.

"Searches at the site are still going on," the official added.

Industrial disasters are common in India, with experts blaming poor planning and lax enforcement of safety rules.  

"The incident has unfortunately resulted in the loss of human life," factory owner Sigachi Industries, said in a statement. The company supplies pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics and chemical industries.

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