One person died while two others admitted to a hospital in critical condition, after a hydrochloric acid leak at the Parwada Pharma Unit in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is currently taking stock of the situation.
The incident occurred at around 4.30 pm on Tuesday and the affected workers started displaying symptoms around midnight, an official told news agency PTI. “Without taking any precautions, the workers cleaned fumes emanating from a reactor which underwent heavy pressure build up while mixing Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) and chloroform. In that process, they inhaled those fumes,” he said.
Former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed dismay over the gas leak and urged the Government to provide quality treatment to those hospitalized and provide succour to the kin of the deceased, according to the YSR Congress Party.
According to Anakapalli district Collector Vijaya Krishnan, up to 400 litres of HCL leaked from the reactor-cum-receiver tank (GLR-325) in liquid form and fell on the floor. The workers did not show any symptoms immediately but experienced coughing and breathing issues at midnight, as per officials. A total of nine workers have been hospitalised.
The Collector said that besides the single death and two critical cases on ventilator support, the remaining six are normal. Initially, the pharma company management admitted the nine workers at a private hospital in Gajuwaka and later shifted three of the critical ones to a corporate hospital in Vizag.
The deceased was identified as Amit, a 23-year-old helper in the factory from Odisha, who died at 12.30 pm today. The police accused the company of failing to alert the workers over the dangers of inhaling the toxic fumes.
Police said that a case will be registered over the incident, while the Collector asserted that a complaint is being taken from the affected workers for necessary action against the management.
(With Agency Inputs)
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