Sigachi blast toll rises to 39 as one more worker succumbs

The death toll in the Sigachi Industries blast in Sangareddy district has risen to 39, after one of the injured succumbed to injuries on Friday night. As of Saturday evening, officials confirmed that 30 pieces of human remains have been recovered from the site, days after the explosion, which left over 30 others injured.

Body fragments are being sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Hyderabad for DNA analysis to establish identity.

Patancheru Government Hospital Superintendent (SP) Srinivas Reddy said that of the 24 DNA samples collected so far, 22 bodies have been identified and handed over to their families.

The process of sending the bodies is being conducted with full police escort, with two constables accompanying each body in an ambulance to the native place, including in Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, said Mr. Pankaj.

“The officers return in the same vehicle. This ensures there is no disruption from local police and all formalities, including no-objection certificates, are handled smoothly,” said the SP, adding that DNA samples from relatives of all missing workers have already been collected.

Meanwhile, the search operations are still underway at the blast site, with personnel from the Fire, SDRF, HYDRAA, local police and revenue departments engaged in combing through debris.

Officials said that 30 separate body parts have been recovered so far and further DNA matching is expected to clarify the final count of the deceased and missing, as discrepancies remain. Nine workers are still officially listed as missing.

Authorities have said operations will continue until all remains are found and a complete identification of victims is achieved.