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India gas leak: At least three dead after Visakhapatnam accident | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Three people have died, with hundreds of others taken ill, after a gas leak in south India. | Three people have died, with hundreds of others taken ill, after a gas leak in south India. |
The leak, in the city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state, has been traced to a polymer factory. | The leak, in the city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state, has been traced to a polymer factory. |
Doctors told BBC Telugu that "hundreds" of people have been taken to hospital - many complaining of a burning sensation in the eyes and difficulties breathing. | |
The incident took place at around 03:00 local time (21:30 GMT) at the LG Polymers plant. | |
Rajendra Reddy, a senior official in the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, told BBC Telugu's Satish Balla that the leaked gas was styrene, which is usually refrigerated. | Rajendra Reddy, a senior official in the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, told BBC Telugu's Satish Balla that the leaked gas was styrene, which is usually refrigerated. |
As the gas spread, residents ran out of their homes in panic. | |
It is feared that the fumes have spread over a radius of about 3km (2 miles) and officials have been evacuating people from surrounding areas. | |
A senior district official told the BBC that initial attempts to control the gas leak were unsuccessful - and that it could take a few hours to bring the situation under control. | |
In the mean time, officials have asked people to protect themselves with a wet cloth over their faces. | |
India has a sad history of gas leak tragedies. | |
In 1984, a chemical leak in a plant in the city of Bhopal killed thousands of people, in what is acknowledged to be the world's worst industrial disaster. | |
More than 35 years later, victims say children are still being born with disabilities because of the effects of the spill. |