Andhra poisonous gas leak: Rs1 crore relief for deaths, 10 lakh for critical patients, probe ordered into incident

Andhra government has also formed a committee to probe the incident

The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday announced ₹1 crore as compensation for each of the deceased in Visakhapatnam poisonous gas leak incident. He also announced ₹10 lakh for those put on a ventilator as a result of the leak and ₹1 lakh for those who have been hospitalised due to the incident.

A man rushes to take his child for treatment at King George Hospital following a gas leak incident from the LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. (ANI Photo)

At least 9 people have died and more than a thousand have fallen sick due to the leak of poisonous gas Styrene from the LG Polymers unit at R R Venkatapuram on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam on Thursday morning.

The state government also announced a compensation of ₹25,000 for the gas-leak affected patients who are under treatment without hospitalization at the OPDs (Out Patient Department) and ₹10,000 each for affected families from the five villages adjoining the LG plant.

Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said that those who have lost cattle due to the leak will get full compensation for the loss; besides ₹20,000 to each family.

The state government has also appointed a committee to probe the incident and the government indicated that the LG Polymers plant could be relocated if found necessary.

State industries minister M Goutham Reddy said that the leakage of gas might have occurred from the tank storing Styrene in liquid form. The minister said the liquid turns into a gaseous state at a temperature of more than 20 degrees Celsius. He added that the cap of the storage tank is learnt to have come off, leading to the leak. Initial reports suggested that the engineers attempted to seal the mouth but the damage had been done by that time, he added.

He claimed that the company- LG Polymers-- was asked to confirm with all safety protocols before reopening the plant following lockdown relaxations.

The plant is located at R R Venkatapuram area near Gopalapatnam, which is close to Visakhapatnam international airport. People in nearby residential areas were fast asleep when the incident took place.

When the poisonous gas reached the residential areas, many people rushed on to the streets complaining of a pungent smell difficult to bear. Several people collapsed on the streets while a large section of residents, including the children and the old people, fainted within their homes, said Visakhapatnam’s assistant commissioner of police, Swaroopa Rani.