By Sujata Jena
Bhubaneswar, May 7, 2020: At least 11 people were dead and more than 1,000 fell ill on May 7 after gas leaked overnight from a chemical plant of a multinational firm in Visakhapatnam, a port city in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh.
“When people came out of their house in the morning they felt breathless. Many fell on the ground unconscious,” Lima Joshi, a resident of Vishakhapatnam, told Matters India over phone.
According to her, the gas has spread over a 4-km radius of an LG Polymers factory near the city. “People started running away from their homes. Many died on the spot and many are admitted in hospitals.”
Joshi, a housewife, said may animals and birds have also died. “The administration is trying to evacuate people near the company.Those who are not close to the firm are also scared,” said the woman who lives in a safe zone.
She quoted television reports to say that the chief minister has rushed to Visakhapatnam to oversee the situation.
According to ndtv.com, more than 200 are in hospitals after inhaling what is believed to be styrene gas. People were found unconscious in lanes, ditches and near houses. They were taken to hospitals in a rescue effort that added to the challenges posed by the coronavirus lockdown.
Officials told reporters that they have evacuated at least three surrounding villages and launched house-to-house checks.
The gas leak reportedly started at 2:30 am from large tanks that were unattended because of the lockdown.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had spoken to home ministry and disaster management officials and tweeted: “I pray for everyone’s safety and well-being in Visakhapatnam.”
In disturbing videos from villages within range of the gas leak, men, women and children were seen on the ground, apparently having passed out after inhaling the gas, which is not toxic.
At least a hundred people, many in masks for COVID-19 precaution, were seen in visuals on a chaotic road trying to help the injured and bundling them into waiting ambulances.
Residents near the LG Polymers India plant in Gopalpatnam reported burning sensation in their eyes and difficulty in breathing, officials said.
The city police say they received the first call reporting gas in the air at 3:30 am. When teams arrived, they found it difficult to breathe or see clearly.
In tweets and announcements, the municipal office warned people near the plant to stay indoors. People were also asked to wear wet masks or cover their face with wet cloth.
In a mobile videos, a woman standing near a scooter suddenly collapses on the pavement. Another woman is seen taking her child to an ambulance.
R K Meena, police chief of Vishakhapatnam, said the gas has been neutralized and a First Information Report has been filed.
The plant makes polystyrene and expandable polystyrene, a versatile plastic used to make a wide variety of consumer products like toys and appliances. Set up in 1961 as Hindustan Polymers, the company was taken over by South Korea’s LG Chem and renamed LG Polymers India in 1997.