Visakhapatnam, May 7 (IANS): Over 10 people, including two children, have died while about 300 are hospitalised because of gas leakage from LG Polymers chemical plant in RR Venkatapuram village, Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh on early hours at 2.30 am on Thursday.
People have been hospitalised at various hospitals after complaining of breathing difficulties, and burning sensation in the eyes.
Panic struck in surrounding areas following a suspected gas leak in a chemical factory in the RR Venkatapuram village in Andhra Pradesh's Vishakhapatnam. People were seen running helter-skelter.
More than a 5,000 people in five surrounding villages, in a three km radius, have been reported sick.
Eyewitness said that many people were lying unconscious on the ground.
The incident took place at a polymers unit located in the vicinity of the Naiduthota area near Gopalapatnam.
Police, ambulances, and fire tenders have been rushed to the area to assist in rescue operations.
Efforts were underway to plug the leak.
Vizag factory belongs to South Korean business major LG:
The gas that leaked early Thursday, is part of the South Korean group LG Chemical and is headquartered in Mumbai.
Founded as Hindustan Polymers in 1961 for making polystyrene and its co-polymers at Visakhapatnam, the company was merged with McDowell & Co Ltd of UB Group in 1978.
Meanwhile, the South Korean group LG Chemical looked at India as an important market and in order to grow aggressively acquired Hindustan Polymers from UB group and renamed it as LG Polymers India in 1997.
According to LG Polymers, it is one of the leading manufacturers of polystyrene and expandable polystyrene in India.
Over 10 persons have died and thousands of others became ill after the gas leaked from the factory plant in RR Venkatapuram village near Gopalpatnam.
Municipal commissioner Srijana Gummalla said PVC gas or styrene leaked from the plant around 2.30 am. Because of the leak of the compound gas, hundreds of people living in the neighbourhood inhaled it and fell unconscious or complained of breathing problems, she said.
Over 300 people have been hospitalised from the gas leak.
The initial casualties included an 8-year-old girl. One man is reported to have died when he jumped into a well while another person fell off the balcony of his house.