5 workers die of asphyxiation at aqua food processing plant in Andhra Pradesh

The workers felt suffocated due to inhaling of poisonous chemical gas emanating from a tank which they had entered for cleaning.

Five workers died of asphyxiation when they inhaled poisonous gas while cleaning a chemical tank in an aqua food processing plant at Nallavari Cheruvu village of Mogalturu block in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday morning.

The workers felt suffocated due to inhaling of poisonous chemical gas emanating from a tank which they had entered for cleaning. (Representative image)

The tragedy took place in Anand Aqua Exports, a prawn processing and export plant.

While three died on the spot, two died while undergoing treatment at a local hospital at Mogalturu. The deceased have been identified as Boddu Rambabu, N Edukondalu, Eaga Edukondalu, Thota Srinivasa Rao and Jakkamsetty Praveen, and hailed from nearby villagers.

According to West Godavari district collector K Bhaskar, the workers felt suffocated due to inhaling of poisonous chemical gas emanating from the tank when they got into it for cleaning.

The collector said the management of the aqua food processing plant was asked to stop operations immediately.

Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to rush to the plant and supervise relief operations. Leader of opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who has been fighting for quite some time against setting up aqua food parks in the fertile lands of West Godavari district, rushed to the village to call on the families of the victims.

Efforts to contact company officials proved unsuccessful. “All our officials have rushed to the plant,” a staffer at the company head office in Bhimavaram said.