CHENNAI: The death toll in Sunday’s ammonia gas leak at St Peter & Paul Sea Foods Exports in Kannigaipair, Tiruvallur district, rose to eight on Monday after six more, including a 15-year-old girl, died in hospital.
All the victims belong to a Scheduled Tribe community in Odisha’s Kendujhar district. The deceased were identified as R Shibani, Phulomani Juang, Geetha Juang, Purnima Juang, Champabati Juang, J Parvathi Juang, Sita, and the minor girl.
Labour Welfare and Skill Development Minister J Mohamed Parvas told the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday that the gas leak occurred due to an unexpected fault in a valve connected to a pipeline leading to an ice flakes generator machine at the unit.
Sunday’s incident was not the first at the facility. Police sources said an ammonia leak was reported at the same unit in 2014. An affected worker, who was hospitalised on October 23 that year, died of complications on January 15, 2015. A case registered in connection with that death is being heard by a Tiruvallur court.
According to a health department bulletin issued on Monday evening, the leak affected 77 workers, including at least 70 women, of whom 68 remain under treatment at Vels Hospital (28), Venkateswara Hospital (18), Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (12), and Government Stanley Medical College Hospital (10). Workers from Odisha (29) accounted for the highest number of affected persons, followed by Assam (20), Jharkhand (8), Tamil Nadu (5), Kerala (3), and West Bengal (1). The home state of two persons is yet to be ascertained.
The bodies of those who died at various government hospitals will be kept in the mortuary of the respective hospitals for post-mortem examinations, while those who died at private hospitals were shifted to the Tiruvallur Government Hospital mortuary.
Odisha government officials have arrived in Tiruvallur and are coordinating with local authorities regarding treatment provided to the survivors and arrangements to transport the bodies to their native villages.
Since the deceased include a child labourer, the Periyapalayam police have added Section 3(a)(14) of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, in addition to the case they had earlier registered under Sections 105 and 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Three persons, owners M Joseph Jegan (49) of Royapuram and M Mohan (59) of Tondiarpet, and manager R Daniel (70) of Perungudi were arrested, and remand proceedings are under way.
Doctors at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital said several of the affected workers were brought in with cardiac arrest, altered sensorium, coma, and nasal bleeding, indicating exposure to high concentrations of the gas. “They had respiratory tract edema and were unable to breathe, so they had to be intubated,” a doctor said. Doctors added that organ damage is generally associated with exposure exceeding 250 ppm.
“The patients were placed on ventilator support as they were unable to breathe. Treatment was administered based on the organs affected,” the doctors said.
Taking suo motu cognisance of reports on the leak, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, seeking a detailed report within two weeks. The state government has formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident.
After visiting the injured workers in hospital on Monday, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam termed the state's ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for each deceased worker's family inadequate and urged the government to enhance it while ensuring substantial compensation from the factory management.
In a statement, MDMK general secretary Vaiko urged the government to implement the inquiry committee's recommendations, provide all legally entitled compensation to the bereaved families, and ensure intensive treatment for the injured workers.
Meanwhile, Labour Welfare and Skill Development Minister J Mohamed Parvas, in a Rule 110 statement in the Assembly, outlined the government's measures to treat the injured and support the victims' families.
(With inputs from Sinduja Jane)