For the second time in weeks, an explosion and fire at an API manufacturing plant has proven fatal.
Authorities say four people were killed and another 17 injured when a static spark ignited a reactor at an unidentified pharmaceutical plant in the village of Basauli in Punjab. According to The Indian Express, police official Gurbant Singh said the explosion occurred during the morning shift when about 35 workers were in the plant. Witnesses said the blast set off a fire that engulfed the factory premises.
Stories do not identify the plant's owner, but pharmaceutical-technology says authorities have filed a negligence complaint against the company. It says a manager denied there were safety issues at the facility.
In March, a static spark was blamed for an explosion and fire at a Pliva API plant in Zagreb, Croatia. That blast and fire killed one and injured 8, one seriously. Some productions been interrupted, and Pliva has said some supply issues will probably result.
Pliva is owned Teva Pharmaceutical ($TEVA). The company not only makes 80% of Pliva's pharmaceuticals for Croatia; the FDA-approved plant manufactures significant amounts of active ingredients for other Teva drugs.
- The Indian Express piece
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