Wednesday, July 2

39 people were killed and at least 34 others were injured after a massive explosion at a factory in the south Indian city of Hyderabad on Monday.

The explosion occurred at a factory belonging to Sigachi Industries, a pharmaceutical company, located in Hyderabad, the capital of the south Indian state of Telangana. The massive blast resulted in a fire that burned most of the remaining debris, although the entire building collapsed almost instantly due to the force of the explosion.

Witnesses reported that it was almost like a bomb going off, and the explosion trapped many workers inside the building despite the fact that many of them were also able to escape. Around 140 people were inside the building when it exploded, and many of the bodies are yet to be identified.

Sigachi Industries is one of the world's largest producers of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), a processed chemical sourced from plant fibers like wood pulp. This chemical is used in a variety of different industries, including the pharmaceutical and food industries where it is used as a binding, bulking, and anti-caking agent. It is also used in some cosmetic and industrial products, giving the material a high demand in the world market.

Now, the company has stopped all operations at the factory for the next 90 days as they attempt to recover and rebuild; the plant was fully insured, meaning that they will not suffer terribly from a financial perspective, but the prospect of a large loss of production has tanked Sigachi's stock by over 24% over the last few days.

Sigachi, along with the government of Telangana, is now working to investigate the incident, but a definite cause has not been determined yet.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Princess Peach didn’t move until 1988 because it was too complicated for the designers to make her a moveable character.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I see knowledge of self. I know who I am. When I look in the mirror, I see me. (Tracy Morgan)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Verbose (adj, ver-BOHSS) - Someone described as verbose tends to use many words to convey their point. Verbose can also describe something, such as a speech, that contains more words than necessary.

In a Sentence: The article documenting their meeting presented an odd exchange between a verbose questioner and a laconic interviewee.