Tiruvallur: Two women died and 62 others were affected following an ammonia gas leak at the production unit of a private fish meal export factory in Tiruvallur district Sunday, the Tamil Nadu government said.
The incident happened at Kannigaipair village near Periyapalayam.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and opposition leaders of Tamil Nadu expressed their condolences on social media.
Taking to X, PM Modi expressed his condolences to the bereaved families.
“I convey my deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this incident. I pray the injured recover soon,” wrote the Prime Minister.
According to a government press release, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has instructed the formation of a three-member committee with the Director of Industrial Safety and Health, Member Secretary, Pollution Control Board and Additional Director of Public Health and submit an interim report in 24 hours and a final report in three days.
Earlier, the police said the death toll was seven, but a CMO release and Health Minister KG Arunraj later put it at two.
Speaking to reporters, Arunraj said that an ammonia gas leak with an impact of this scale has never happened.
“Doctors say we haven’t seen cases with such high levels anywhere in else,” the minister said.
He also said the health condition of some patients shows a worsening trend, adding that critical patients have been shifted out of private hospitals to government hospitals.
Both patients who have been declared dead were treated in private hospitals, he added.
“One person was brought dead to the private hospital, and the other person passed away without responding to treatment there,” he said.
According to the minister, there are 28 patients at Vels Medical College, 18 at Venkateshwara Hospital, 10 at Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital (MMC) and seven at Government Stanley Hospital.
A total of 64 workers on duty, comprising 60 women and four men, were affected by the sudden gas leak.
CM Vijay announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund to the families of the deceased.
The Chief Minister has also ordered that the mortal remains of the deceased be transported to their native states for final rites at the government’s expense.
To prevent the recurrence of such accidents, the government has mandated immediate joint inspections of all hazardous industries, stated the government press release.
Meanwhile, Periyapalayam police have taken the owner and the manager of the company into custody for questioning.
Governor Arlekar said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragic incident which has resulted in the loss of precious lives and caused injuries to several workers.
Leader of the Opposition of the Tamil Nadu assembly, Udhyanidhi Stalin, said the government should ensure that proper treatment is provided to the workers in the hospital.
“To prevent such tragic incidents from occurring in the future, the government must step forward to conduct inspections and if necessary, issue a new SOP,” wrote Udhyanidhi in his official X account.
DMDK chief Premalatha Vijayakanth, who visited the victims at the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Chennai, said the incident occurred due to complete lack of maintenance in the factory.
“The DMDK party had repeatedly raised complaints during local Gram Sabha meetings, demanding that the factory either be relocated outside city limits or shut down entirely,” Premalatha said, alleging that similar leaks have occurred two or three times before at the same facility.
PTI