At least seven people including a child have been reported dead after toxic gas leaked from a chemical plant of a company on Thursday morning in the city of Vishakhapatnam. Around 200 others have been rushed to the hospital.
As the news broke out, fire engines, the local police, and ambulances reached the area to control the situation. The National Disaster Response Force have been called in. The director-general of police of Andhra Pradesh confirmed the death toll to be seven.
As per a report in Times of India, the number of people who might have fallen sick due to the tragedy can cross the 1,000 figure mark. Reportedly, the leak occurred at 3 am at the LG Polymers industry that is situated in the RR Venkatapuram near the Naiduthota area. The incident has triggered a lot of panic among the workers as several people were found unconscious lying on the streets due to breathlessness. Several others complained of skin rashes on their body and burning sensation in their eyes.
RK Meena, the Commissioner of Police of the Vishakapatnam city, claimed that the gas has been neutralized and said,
“Maximum impact was in about 1-1.5 km but the smell was in 2-2.5 km. One hundred to 120 people have been shifted to the hospital.”
Emergency Services fall unconscious
Srijana Gummalla, the Commissioner of the Greater Vishakapatnam Municipal Corporation tweeted that she has received the reports of five deaths and added that they need to be confirmed. She also said that there are efforts to subsidize the impact by blowing water through most blowers. She appealed to the people of the city to not come out of their houses for safety precautions.
DVSS Ramana, a resident of Naiduthota, spoke to the Indian express and said that they woke up to the smell of the gas. He said,
“When we went outside, the whole air was filled with gas. It entered our homes and caused breathing problems and burning sensation in the lungs. We are being evacuated. We are going to our relative’s place.”
The District collector assured that oxygen support will be given to people who are facing breathing difficulties. Reports from officials confirm that even emergency services fell unconscious due to the gas leakage. The police have made announcements appealing people to evacuate the area but it seems many have fallen unconscious inside their homes.
