A chemical plant storage tank leaked poisonous Styrene gas affecting hundreds of people.
The incident happened at the LG Polymer plant at Gopalapatnam on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam in the early hours of Thursday. It released a poisonous styrene gas and the source of the leak was a styrene plant owned by South Korean electronics giant LG, located at RRV Puram near Gopalapatnam. Styrene is a flammable liquid that is used in the manufacturing of polystyrene plastics, fiberglass, rubber, and latex.
“Our initial information is that workers were checking a gas storage tank when it started leaking. Only a thorough investigation will reveal what exactly happened,” Industries Minister M Goutham Reddy said.
It took the lives of 10 people and made over 800 sick as they complained of leaking gas at 2.30 am. An LG official confirmed that there were 1,800 tonnes of styrene in the storage tank. He said that due to stagnation and changes in temperature, it could have resulted in auto polymerization which could have caused vaporization.
People were evacuated from the affected area and relocated to safer places. "NDRF team has reached the spot. The maximum impact was in about 1-1.5 km but the smell was in 2-2.5 kilometers. Hundred to 120 people have been shifted to the hospital. A total of three persons have died in the incident. FIR has been registered against the company," RK Meena, CP Visakhapatnam City told ANI.
Indian cricket fraternity was saddened with the loss of life in Vizag, as it is popularly known and shared their condolences on Twitter.
Here are some tweets: