Over 30 fall sick, four hospitalised following gas leak near Vizag

Visakhapatnam/Vijayawada Over 30 fell sick and four were hospitalized following an ammonia gas leak from a unit located at AP Special Economic Zone, Atchutapuram in Anakapalle district on Friday.

The reason for the incident was not immediately known. People ran helter-skelter following as the pungent smell spread, some of them fell unconscious. They were rushed to hospitals at Anakapalle and nearby areas. IT and Industry Minister Gudivada Amarnath directed the Anakapalle Collector to probe into the incident and punish those responsible for the gas leak. An official of Brandix India Apparel City (BIAC) clarified that the incident did not take place on their campus and it might have occurred in a nearby pharma unit.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy enquired about the ammonia gas leakage incident at Atchutapuram near Visakhapatnam. He asked the officials about the details and directed them to provide better treatment to those who had fallen ill.

Further, the Chief Minister ordered a detailed investigation on the accident and asked the authorities to take measures for avoiding such incidents in future. Later Gudivada Amarnath visited the accident site.

The officials informed that the situation was stabilised where the women working at the unit had been evacuated and those who had fallen ill were out of danger. They stated that a probe on the ammonia leak had already been initiated.