Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has brought back the bodies of 11 of the 12 women who died in the ammonia gas leak tragedy in Tamil Nadu, and facilitated the return of 62 workers who were engaged in the plant where the accident took place a week ago, officials said Sunday.
The one remaining body would reach Odisha within two days, they said.
The ammonia gas leak at the production unit of a private fish meal export factory in Tiruvallur district took place June 21, and the majority of the affected workers were from Odisha.
The bodies of 11 women workers were brought back to Keonjhar in four phases between June 23 and June 26 by flights and hearses.
Akash Bisoyi, district labour officer of Keonjhar, said all 12 women who died were from Keonjhar district and belonged to the Juanga community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Odisha.
The body of another woman will be brought to Keonjhar in the next two days, he said, adding that some more Odia workers are still under treatment in Tamil Nadu.
After the accident, our government safely brought back 58 migrant workers of Keonjhar, including 23 women who were engaged in the seafood processing unit there, Bisoyi told PTI over the phone.
Four other workers who returned are from other parts of the state, officials said.
After returning home, the tribal migrant workers from Keonjhar district narrated their ordeal before the local administration and media representatives.
We were forced to work for 12 hours a day, and the authorities were not providing basic amenities like proper food and shelter to us, alleged Pushpa Juanga.
Sanatan Juanga alleged that 10 to 12 people were cramped in a room, while adequate food was also not provided to the workers.
They were also not getting promised wages every month, he alleged.
Earlier, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who hails from Keonjhar district, announced Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia for the families of the deceased people.