11 die in Vizag factory gas leak, hundreds evacuated

OVERNIGHT HORROR Victims inhale styrene and collapse; scores hospitalised with breathlessness

HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI: At least 11 people died, 25 were left critically ill and close to 1,000 were affected after a chemical from a factory leaked and settled as smog over a nearby village in Visakhapatnam in the early hours of Thursday, jolting awake hundreds of residents who choked due to the toxic gas before most fled the area.

State authorities and officials from LG Polymers said they were investigating what caused the leak but a preliminary situation report by district officials said the trigger was a malfunction in equipment, which caused the temperature to rise and the chemical – normally a liquid – to vaporise.

The incident prompted the Union government to issue an advisory to chemical plants to take extra precautions while restarting their operations from what will be more than a month’s halt in operations due to the nationwide shutdown in place to reduce the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

“About 20km from Vishakapatnam, styrene gas, which is toxic and injurious to human health was leaked. Nearly 1,000 people living around the area may have been impacted and have been evacuated,” said National Disaster Management Authority member Kamal Kishore at a press briefing in New Delhi. “The gas can affect people’s breathing and brain function,” All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director Randeep Guleria said at the briefing, adding: “Some may have trouble breathing and may need a ventilator. We have to monitor their oxygen levels, respiratory rate and in case of a bronchospasm, they may need steroids.”

Rescuers evacuate people after a gas leak at a chemical plant in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam on Thursday. AFP