ATCHUTAPURAM: The death toll in the fire accident at a pharmaceutical unit here on Wednesday rose to 13, officials said.

Anakapalli District Collector Vijaya Krishnan said the fire broke out at 2:15 pm at Escientia Advanced Sciences Pvt Ltd at Atchutapuram in Anakapalli district.

“The factory operates with 381 employees in two shifts. The blast occurred during lunch time. Therefore, staff presence was less, Krishnan told PTI, adding that the explosion is suspected to be electricity-related.

As many as 33 injured people were shifted to different hospitals in Anakapalli and Atchutapuram while the Fire Department is engaged in rescue operations, deploying six fire tenders.

Further, the collector said 13 people trapped in the unit were rescued.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the loss of lives.

The CM assured that the government will stand by the families of the workers who died, said an official press release.

Escientia Advanced Sciences, which manufactures intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) commenced production in April 2019 with an investment of Rs 200 crore.

It is located in a 40-acre campus in the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation's (APIIC) multi-product special economic zone (SEZ) at Atchutapuram cluster.