In Andhra Pradesh’s Vishakhapatnam today, 5 people have been declared dead and several have taken ill after a toxic gas leaked from a chemical plant of a multinational firm. Identified as the chemical gas plant of LG Polymers India Pvt Ltd in Gopalpatnam, the plant was trying to open after the lockdown when the incident happened. The leakage of the toxic gas, styrene, started at around 2:30 am.
Residents near the chemical gas plant of LG Polymers India Pvt Ltd in the district’s village RR Venkatapuram reported of burning sensation in their eyes and difficulty in breathing, officials said. They were immediately taken to hospital, they said. Ambulances, fire engines, and policemen have reached the chemical plant for rescue.
The plant was set up in 1961 as Hindustan Polymers, and the company was taken over by South Korea’s LG Chem and renamed as LG Polymers India in 1997. The plant makes polystyrene and expandable polystyrene, a versatile plastic used to make a wide variety of consumer products like toys and appliances.
The local authorities have advised residents around the area against venturing out, especially near the plant. Footages of the incident, now circulating in the media, show people lying on the roads near the site, possibly unconscious. Many are being carried into ambulances, and people, all masked, rushing in to help. People are being admitted to hospitals with respiratory problems and skin allergies.
Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy will be visiting Visakhapatnam, due to the tragedy.
