About 90 people were working in the plant when the blast took place, reportedly due to a suspected chemical reaction, which also triggered a fire, Health Minister Damodara Raja Narasimha told reporters

Later in the evening, a police official told PTI that another body was extricated from the debris, bringing the total number of deaths to 13

"Eleven bodies were recovered from the blast site and two people died while undergoing treatment at a hospital," the official said

The explosion was so powerful that some of the workers were thrown nearly 100 metres away, eyewitnesses said

The cause of the mishap would be known after examination by the technical experts, Narasimha, who visited the accident site along with state Labour Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy, told reporters

Venkatswamy said 12 of the 34 injured people were critical and put on ventilator support in the hospitals. The respiratory system of these victims is under stress due to the burn injuries, he said

The government is hopeful that the remaining 22 people will recover soon, he added

Expressing grief over the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the incident. He wished an early recovery to the injured

In a post on 'X', he announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured