16 injured in chemical plant fire in India

At least 16 workers were injured in a major fire at a chemicals factory in southern India on Saturday, police said. According to dpa, the fire broke out following a gas-cylinder explosion at the Nagarjuna agro-chemical factory in Andhra Pradesh state's coastal Srikakulam district. The injured were moved to a local hospital where the condition of five workers was said to be serious, district deputy police chief L Arjun said over the phone. Television news channels showed images of huge amounts of chemical-laden smoke billowing out of the plant, causing panic among locals. The reports said authorities had started evacuating people from five villages around the plant but police refuted this, saying there was no need of evacuations as the toxicity levels were low.