Visakhapatnam: 11 killed as gas leaks from LG

Visakhapatnam: The year 2020 appears to be a tragic year. Even as the people are still grappling with the deadly coronavirus, Visakhapatnam on Thursday woke up to scenes of several children being carried by parents in their arms to hospitals and people lying on the roads as they inhaled the poisonous styrene gas.

Grim visuals of the people fallen on the streets and lanes and by-lanes of the affected area while trying to flee the choked air stunned the nation. Initial visuals also suggest that the people tried to help those affected by shifting them on their own to the hospitals in the absence of help from the management of the factory. "Even the siren was not switched on to alert us" was the common refrain.

Eleven persons, including a six-year-old girl, died and scores of others were admitted to the government hospitals due to leakage of poisonous gas at Gopalapatnam in Vishakhapatnam on Thursday early hours. Scores of domestic animals and birds too perished and several plants turned black.

The local administration including police, fire brigade and the medical and ambulance services swung into action within 15 minutes of getting first information and took up rescue operations. NDRF teams went from house to house, forced open the doors and rescued people lest the tragedy could have been much bigger. Even before these teams arrived, people were seen carrying those fell unconscious to hospital in whatever vehicles were available at their disposable.

The incident of gas leak occurred between 2.30 am and 3 am at the plant which was being readied for operations after the lockdown period. The leakage resulted because of the stored chemicals that reacted and released styrene - a deadly gas that acts on the nervous system and deprives body of oxygen. Thursday's incident evoked memories of infamous 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy in which a gas leak at a factory of US chemical firm Union Carbide plant left 3,500 dead and many maimed.

The gas leak spread over a radius of about 3 km, affecting at least five villages, including R R Venkatapuram, Padmapuram, B C Colony and Kamparapalem.