Vizag gas leak: Andhra govt forms joint committee to ascertain cause
On Friday, 178 workers complained of eyesore and nausea after they inhaled a poisonous gas leaked from a chemical factory in Atchutapuram. The large campus houses three companies including Porus Laboratories Pvt Ltd, a veterinary drugs company.
The Andhra Pradesh government has constituted a joint committee to ascertain the cause behind a chemical gas leak in Visakhapatnam, industries minister Gudivada Amarnath informed on Saturday, news agency ANI reported.
On Friday, 178 workers complained of eyesore and nausea after they inhaled a poisonous gas leaked from a chemical factory in Atchutapuram. The large campus houses three companies including Porus Laboratories Pvt Ltd, a veterinary drugs company.
Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has ordered a detailed investigation into the accident. He also asked authorities to take necessary measures to avoid similar incidents.
Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) and police officials are carrying out the preliminary investigation. The gas is likely to have leaked from Porus Laboratories.
The condition of affected workers is reported to be stable. Most of those who fell ill belonged to the Brandix factory -- an apparel company also housed in the same campus.
The situation at the campus is reported to be under control now. Following the incident, the entire area was evacuated and sanitised.
Porus Laboratories was also the site of an explosion in April in which six people died - they were burned to death - and 15 were injured.
Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu demanded stringent action against those responsible for the gas leak incident. He also targeted the state government, saying, "failure of the government's departments and the absence of monitoring have become a curse for the public".
