13 dead, hundreds fall ill after toxic gas leak in India’s Visakhapatnam

At least 13 people have died and hundreds more potentially affected by a gas leak at an Indian chemical plant on the wee hours of Thursday, authorities reported.

According to the local Indian media, the incident of gas leak happened at the LG Polymers plant in the city of Visakhapatnam, in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Footage surfaced on social media showing the scene how people lying crumpled and unconscious on the ground, some next to motorcycles and vehicles that have toppled over.

The plant is located close to a village of between 3,000 to 4,000 residents. Authorities said so far 200 people have been admitted to hospitals after their condition deteriorated.

“When we arrived on the spot a lot of people were lying on the ground unconscious and we evacuated around 1,000 people and rushed them to the hospital. Of these, around 100 are seriously ill,” said Tej Bharath, a senior Vishakhapatnam district official.

According to Gopalapatnam Police Inspector V Ramanayya, they transported hundreds of people in ambulances, police vehicles, and state-provided buses, while others left on their own.

Images show roads and highways leading away from the plant-filled with people running to safety, many carrying people who had been injured or fallen unconscious.

The rescue team said that the operations are now complete and the gas leak is under control in the locality.

The team added that rescuers evacuate people following a gas leak incident at an LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam on May 7.

It was not immediately clear what had led to the leak. However, the plant, which is owned by the South Korean company LG Corp, had recently reopened after coronavirus lockdown restrictions were eased.