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Rescuers evacuate people following a gas leak incident at an LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam on May 7, 2020. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
Stirring Memories of Bhopal, At Least 11 Killed and Thousands Sickened as India Chemical Plant Leaks Toxic Gas
Horrifying footage of people collapsing in the streets spread on social media as a factory in Visakhapatnam spewed toxic gas.
May 07, 2020
This is a developing news story... Check back for possible updates...
A chemical factory in Visakhapatnam, India owned by the South Korean company LG Corp. spewed toxic gas into the air in the early hours of Thursday morning, killing at least 11 people and sickening thousands more.
Horrifying footage of people collapsing in the streets after inhaling the gas spread quickly across social media Thursday as hundreds were rushed to the hospital and city officials worked to contain the leak of styrene, a chemical used to make rubber and plastic.
"We could feel the strong stench of the gas," one man told the New York Times. "Our eyes started watering and we could smell the gas in our mouths."
Warning: The following footage is disturbing.
\u201cAnother shocking video of people who collapsed while trying to escape from a neighbouring village. They're not dead, they collapsed after inhaling styrene that leaked form the LG Polymer factory in #Vishakapatnam\u201d— Paul Oommen (@Paul Oommen) 1588824750
\u201cA gas leak from Visakhapatnam's chemical factory, LG Polymers, has killed at least 10 people. Here are the terrifying visuals from the area. \ud83d\ude14\ud83d\ude32\u201d— Brut India (@Brut India) 1588847463
LG Corp. said in a statement that the "gas leakage is now under control, but the leaked gas can cause nausea and dizziness, so we are investing every effort to ensure proper treatment is provided swiftly." The leak reportedly began as workers prepared to restart the plant, which has been closed for weeks amid the city's Covid-19 lockdown.
As the Timesreported, images and footage that emerged following the leak "immediately drew comparison to the 1984 gas leak in India's Bhopal State, considered the world's worst industrial accident. That leak, at a Union Carbide pesticide plant, left nearly 4,000 dead and another 500,000 injured."
While reminiscent of the previous disaster, some warned against making a direct comparison with Bhopal at this point:
\u201cHorrifying news from Visakhapatnam on the Styrene gas leak. Prayers.\n\nWhile dangerous, request you to not create panic by comparing it with Methyl isocyanate (MIC), the Bhopal gas.\n\nToxic level in ppm (parts per million) posing immediate danger to life:\nStyrene: 700\nMIC: 3\u201d— Anand Ranganathan (@Anand Ranganathan) 1588831499
Dr. Surendra Kumar Chellarapu, a neurosurgeon at a local hospital, said one of the victims of Thursday's leak "woke up gasping for breath and rushed out onto the balcony of his room for air. But he lost his balance and fell two floors down from the balcony. He died later at the hospital of head injuries."
"Most were suffering from vomiting, eye irritation, skin rashes and breathing problems but most are out of danger," Chellarapu told The Guardian.
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This is a developing news story... Check back for possible updates...
A chemical factory in Visakhapatnam, India owned by the South Korean company LG Corp. spewed toxic gas into the air in the early hours of Thursday morning, killing at least 11 people and sickening thousands more.
Horrifying footage of people collapsing in the streets after inhaling the gas spread quickly across social media Thursday as hundreds were rushed to the hospital and city officials worked to contain the leak of styrene, a chemical used to make rubber and plastic.
"We could feel the strong stench of the gas," one man told the New York Times. "Our eyes started watering and we could smell the gas in our mouths."
Warning: The following footage is disturbing.
\u201cAnother shocking video of people who collapsed while trying to escape from a neighbouring village. They're not dead, they collapsed after inhaling styrene that leaked form the LG Polymer factory in #Vishakapatnam\u201d— Paul Oommen (@Paul Oommen) 1588824750
\u201cA gas leak from Visakhapatnam's chemical factory, LG Polymers, has killed at least 10 people. Here are the terrifying visuals from the area. \ud83d\ude14\ud83d\ude32\u201d— Brut India (@Brut India) 1588847463
LG Corp. said in a statement that the "gas leakage is now under control, but the leaked gas can cause nausea and dizziness, so we are investing every effort to ensure proper treatment is provided swiftly." The leak reportedly began as workers prepared to restart the plant, which has been closed for weeks amid the city's Covid-19 lockdown.
As the Timesreported, images and footage that emerged following the leak "immediately drew comparison to the 1984 gas leak in India's Bhopal State, considered the world's worst industrial accident. That leak, at a Union Carbide pesticide plant, left nearly 4,000 dead and another 500,000 injured."
While reminiscent of the previous disaster, some warned against making a direct comparison with Bhopal at this point:
\u201cHorrifying news from Visakhapatnam on the Styrene gas leak. Prayers.\n\nWhile dangerous, request you to not create panic by comparing it with Methyl isocyanate (MIC), the Bhopal gas.\n\nToxic level in ppm (parts per million) posing immediate danger to life:\nStyrene: 700\nMIC: 3\u201d— Anand Ranganathan (@Anand Ranganathan) 1588831499
Dr. Surendra Kumar Chellarapu, a neurosurgeon at a local hospital, said one of the victims of Thursday's leak "woke up gasping for breath and rushed out onto the balcony of his room for air. But he lost his balance and fell two floors down from the balcony. He died later at the hospital of head injuries."
"Most were suffering from vomiting, eye irritation, skin rashes and breathing problems but most are out of danger," Chellarapu told The Guardian.
This is a developing news story... Check back for possible updates...
A chemical factory in Visakhapatnam, India owned by the South Korean company LG Corp. spewed toxic gas into the air in the early hours of Thursday morning, killing at least 11 people and sickening thousands more.
Horrifying footage of people collapsing in the streets after inhaling the gas spread quickly across social media Thursday as hundreds were rushed to the hospital and city officials worked to contain the leak of styrene, a chemical used to make rubber and plastic.
"We could feel the strong stench of the gas," one man told the New York Times. "Our eyes started watering and we could smell the gas in our mouths."
Warning: The following footage is disturbing.
\u201cAnother shocking video of people who collapsed while trying to escape from a neighbouring village. They're not dead, they collapsed after inhaling styrene that leaked form the LG Polymer factory in #Vishakapatnam\u201d— Paul Oommen (@Paul Oommen) 1588824750
\u201cA gas leak from Visakhapatnam's chemical factory, LG Polymers, has killed at least 10 people. Here are the terrifying visuals from the area. \ud83d\ude14\ud83d\ude32\u201d— Brut India (@Brut India) 1588847463
LG Corp. said in a statement that the "gas leakage is now under control, but the leaked gas can cause nausea and dizziness, so we are investing every effort to ensure proper treatment is provided swiftly." The leak reportedly began as workers prepared to restart the plant, which has been closed for weeks amid the city's Covid-19 lockdown.
As the Timesreported, images and footage that emerged following the leak "immediately drew comparison to the 1984 gas leak in India's Bhopal State, considered the world's worst industrial accident. That leak, at a Union Carbide pesticide plant, left nearly 4,000 dead and another 500,000 injured."
While reminiscent of the previous disaster, some warned against making a direct comparison with Bhopal at this point:
\u201cHorrifying news from Visakhapatnam on the Styrene gas leak. Prayers.\n\nWhile dangerous, request you to not create panic by comparing it with Methyl isocyanate (MIC), the Bhopal gas.\n\nToxic level in ppm (parts per million) posing immediate danger to life:\nStyrene: 700\nMIC: 3\u201d— Anand Ranganathan (@Anand Ranganathan) 1588831499
Dr. Surendra Kumar Chellarapu, a neurosurgeon at a local hospital, said one of the victims of Thursday's leak "woke up gasping for breath and rushed out onto the balcony of his room for air. But he lost his balance and fell two floors down from the balcony. He died later at the hospital of head injuries."
"Most were suffering from vomiting, eye irritation, skin rashes and breathing problems but most are out of danger," Chellarapu told The Guardian.
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