Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Sulphur dioxide leak at Karnataka pharma factory kills three workers
A factory in Yadgir, Karnataka, makes chemicals that are used to make medicines.
One early morning, a pipe inside the factory started leaking a gas called sulphur dioxide.
That gas can be very dangerous to breathe.
Three workers breathed in the gas and sadly died.
Two other workers were hurt and were taken to a hospital called RIMS.
One of the injured workers is still in a serious condition.
Officials and rescue teams rushed to the factory to help.
They checked the factory and said the gas had stopped leaking.
The factory stayed closed for several hours to keep everyone safe.
Police are now investigating what went wrong and whether safety rules were broken, so that this kind of accident does not happen again.
Three workers died and two were injured in a suspected sulphur dioxide gas leak at CIL Laboratories in the Kadechur industrial area of Yadgir district, Karnataka, in the early hours of Wednesday.
The leak, which occurred between 1 am and 2 am, happened when a pipeline developed a leak, allowing sulphur dioxide gas generated from thionyl chloride in a stainless steel reactor to escape; the gas is normally carried by the pipeline to a scrubber.
The deceased were identified as Katla Ganesh (Mahabubnagar, Telangana) and Vikram Singh Gonda and Sanjay Singh Gonda (Katni, Madhya Pradesh), all in their early twenties.
The injured, Manchala Hemanth and Manchala Shivakumar (Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh), are being treated at RIMS, with one in critical condition; one report says the victims died on the spot while another says they were declared dead after being brought to hospital.
Officials confirmed the leakage had stopped and the plant remained shut for five to six hours; an FIR was registered at Saidapur police station against the company, its manager and other officials, and NDRF and forensic teams were called in.
- Who
- Workers at CIL Laboratories Pvt Ltd in Yadgir: the deceased Katla Ganesh (Mahabubnagar, Telangana), Vikram Singh Gonda and Sanjay Singh Gonda (Katni, Madhya Pradesh); the injured Manchala Hemanth and Manchala Shivakumar (Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh). Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tukaram Pandve and Superintendent of Police Pruthvik Shankar oversaw the response.
- What
- A suspected sulphur dioxide gas leak at a pharmaceutical chemical factory killed three workers and injured two others.
- When
- In the early hours of Wednesday (one report says Thursday morning), between 1 am and 2 am; first reported on August 6, 2026.
- Where
- Kadechur (KIADB) Industrial Area, also referred to as the Kadechur-Badiyal/Badiala industrial area, Yadgir district, Karnataka, India.
- Why
- A pipeline developed a leak, allowing sulphur dioxide gas produced when thionyl chloride was used in a stainless steel reactor to escape; the workers inhaled the gas.
- Location
- Kadechur (KIADB) Industrial Area, Yadgir district, Karnataka
- Company
- CIL Laboratories Pvt Ltd
- Gas involved
- Sulphur dioxide
- Chemical process
- Thionyl chloride used in a stainless steel reactor; gas carried by pipeline to a scrubber
- Deaths
- 3 workers - Katla Ganesh, Vikram Singh Gonda, Sanjay Singh Gonda
- Injured
- 2 workers - Manchala Hemanth, Manchala Shivakumar
- Hospital
- Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS)
- Police action
- FIR at Saidapur police station against the company, its manager and other officials; safety-norms probe ordered
