Eleven people, including two children, have died while about 300 are hospitalised after a gas leakage from LG Polymers chemical plant in RR Venkatapuram village, Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh today. The Vizag factory was trying to open post lockdown when the incident occurred, DG NDRF told media. Several people were taken to hospital after they complained of a burning sensation in their eyes and breathing difficulties.
Srijana Gummalla, the commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, tweeted that primary report suggests that PVC gas (or Styrene) leaked from LG Polymers, near Gopalapatnam in Visakhapatnam at around 2:30 AM today caused the tragedy.
ANI reports that the gas has been neutralised. The NDRF team has reached the spot and taken control over the area. Maximum impact is in about 1-1.5 km. people are asked to cover their face after wetting it with water.
District collector Vinay Chand said the administration rushed ambulances and other vehicles to evacuate people soon after it got the information at around 4 am. The efforts were still on to contain the leakage completely.
The city woke up with heartbreaking Visuals of Hundreds of people lying unconscious on roads. Five villages have been totally evacuated, and the rest of the villages’ evacuation is in progress. Nine villages may be affected by the incident, News18 reported.
The leakage of gases is believed to have taken place when the plant’s employees were preparing to reopen it following some recent relaxations announced by the government.
