Gas Leak at Chemical Plant in Vizag
A gas leakage at a chemical plant in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, took 10 lives including an 8-year-old and made hundreds sick.
In a terrible piece of news, a gas leakage at a chemical plant in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, took 10 lives including an 8-year-old and made hundreds sick. The incident happened around 3 am today morning. 7th April. The incident happened at the LG Polymers industry in the Vizag's district named RR Venkatapuram village. The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation tweeted, "There is gas leakage at a chemical factory named LG Polymers. Requesting Citizens around these locations not to come out of houses for the sake of safety precautions." Fire engines, ambulances, and police vehicles reached the spot soon after the leakage. Horrifying images have gone viral. Several people were seen lying on a dilapidated road.
In another one, people were seen trying to shift the ill to the hospital. One image showed froth coming out from a cow's mouth. Another mobile video showed a woman collapsing on the pavement as she stood by a scooter. People had difficulty breathing and complained of itching in the eyes and rashes on their bodies. Some said trees also changed color. 100-120 people have been taken to the hospital for treatment. The chemical leaked till 1.5 km and the smell of the chemical spread till 2.5 km. The entire village has been evacuated and a door to door searching is being conducted.
The district collector V Vinay Chand reached the spot and said the situation was being monitored. NDRF and SDRF have been sent to rescue people. Chief Minister Jagan Reddy is scheduled to visit the area later today. The name of the gas that leaked was ‘Styrene’ It is used to make plastic which is used to make toys. The police have said that the leak happened from a 5,000-tonne gas tank that had been left unsupervised since March due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Long term exposure to Styrene can cause headaches, fatigue, depression, hearing loss, etc. The exact cause of the leak is not known yet. PM Modi has called an emergency meeting today to discuss the incident.
