A "minuscule technical leak" had occurred at the LG Polymer chemical factory in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam where styrene gas leaked in the early hours of Friday, but it was controlled and the process of neutralisation was carried out, officials said.
Responding to reports of an alleged second gas leak at the factory late on Thursday night, a Union home ministry official said, "It is clarified that this was a minuscule technical leak. It is required to bring the container in control. The situation is under control," the official said, according to PTI.
District Fire Officer Sandeep Anand told TNM that the leak has been plugged for now. “Management has said that the emissions have almost entirely stopped. Neutralisation measures have been put on hold for now. The required vehicle and personnel are on standby until further instructions from higher authorities,” he said.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) are on the ground to support the local administration.
The Centre on Thursday said 11 people died and 1,000 were exposed to the gas leak at the chemical factory. At least 25 people are in a critical condition after being exposed to the gas, officials had said.
Those who had been exposed to the leak had been moved to King George Hospital and a few other private hospitals. As of Friday, 50 children and 234 adults who were affected by the gas leak were admitted at KGH alone. Hospital authorities said only one person is on oxygen support for breathing. The rest of them are in stable condition, and are likely to be discharged by Monday, authorities said.
KGH Superintendent Arjuna said that 9 of the 11 people who have lost their lives so far have been identified.
The DFO said that higher authorities will decide when the neighbourhood is safe for residents to return. On Thursday, District Collector V Vinay Chand said that the air quality would be tested 12-24 hours after the emissions were fully controlled, to make sure the air quality is safe.
The police on Thursday night evacuated people upto a 5 km radius from the plant. Many people had already left their homes to move in with their relatives in other parts of the city, unable to bear the stench and afraid of the consequences.
PTI Inputs