NEW DELHI, Nov 27: One person died and 20 fell sick after a toxic gas leak at a pharma unit at Anakapalli in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
Hydrogen chloride (HCl), a toxic gas, started leaking at Tagoor Laboratories Private Limited, a pharma unit. A liquid spill reportedly led to the accident. The staff inhaled a combination of HCl and Chloroform, a volatile, colourless dense liquid used as a solvent, in industries and for medical use.
It is alleged that the manager tried to cover up the industrial accident. Sources said no one took the accident seriously and they tried to put caustic soda to put out the flames. There were 180 people on shift, except 10 people who cleaned up the spill, the rest went home. Only late evening, they reported respiratory distress and were hospitalised, they added.
It was the hospital that informed the authorities and not the factory management about the gas leak. “In the production plant of the company, 400 litres of HCL in liquid form leaked from Reactor-cum-Receiver Tank (GLR-325) and fell on the floor below. No immediate medical consequence was noticed in any of the workers. At night, nine persons who were in the vicinity of the liquid leak complained of breathing problems and cough,” a press note said.
“They were shifted to Pavan Sai Hospital in Gajuwaka, Visakhapatnam, by the company. Three out of nine were shifted later to KIMS Hospital, Sheelanagar, Visakhapatnam. One person, 23-year-old Amit, a helper in the company, and a native of Odisha, unfortunately died today in hospital. Two persons are on ventilator support for normalising breathing. Six people are normal,” they added.
Last week, three people died and nine were injured after a gas leak at a fertiliser plant in Sangli district in Maharashtra following a blast in a reactor. “Due to the gas leak, some 12 people in the unit were affected and taken to hospital. Of them, two women workers and a security guard have died. Nine others are being treated,” said Sangram Shewale, senior inspector of Kadegaon police station.
(Manas Dasgupta)