6 dead after poisonous gas leak in Andhra steel factory, rescue ops on

Tadipatri (Anantapur): In an incident of Carbon Monoxide gas leak in the Steel Melting Shop (SMS) of Gerdaue Steel Plant in Tadipatri near here on Thursday evening,

 as many as 6 workers  of the steel plant were killed and 4 persons persons were injured landing the employees and the family members of the deceased in a pall of gloom. Two of the four injured in the mishap are said to be critical. The workers who are critical have been sent to Government General Hospital in Anantapur for better treatment. According to local sources, the mishap occured in the evening on Thursday when workers were busily engaged in welding works when Carbon Monoxide gas leaked from the SMS unit. Two workers immediately died after inhaling the poisonous gas while four others died while  being taken to the local government hospital.

The deceased have been identified as B.Ranganath(21), K.Manoj Kumar (24), U.Gangadhar (37), S.Ashwin Basha (38), K.Siva Maddileti(26) and Guruvaiah (40). Four others who were injured are being treated at the government hospital in GGH in Anantapur town.

According to factory sources, this is the second time, a mishap of the kind occured. In 2008 two workers died  due to the same gas leak and four workers were injured.

Meanwhile the factory management anounced a compensation payment of Rs.5 lakhs to the members of the deceased family. In a separate statement local MLA  J.C.Prabhakar Reddy who is the founder of 'Sparsha Foundation' has anounced a compensation payment of Rs.1 lakh each t the family members of the deceased. Local Tahsildhar Yellanna visited the Steel Plant and conducted an enquiry on the cause f the mishap. He spoke to the workers and the management. Company management sources anounced an internal probe int the cause of the mishap. MP Diwakar Reddy and MLA Prabhakar Reddy have condoled the deaths of the six workers of the steel plant. They expressed the hope that the injured would recover speedily.

Ravi.P.Benjamin