VISAKHAPATNAM: Stunning visuals of men, women and children collapsing on the roads, running for life, of all the places at just 20 km from Vizag, woke up the State early Thursday.
Styrene, a flammable liquid used to make polystyrene plastics, rubber and latex, leaked in gaseous form from a plant belonging to LG Polymers Ltd, a South Korean company, at RR Venkatapuram village near Gopalapatnam around 2.30 am.
The toxic fumes spread fast enveloping five villages within a radius of 3-5 km inducing breathlessness, and paralysing people asleep indoors and outdoors.
Eleven people, including two minors, died and 316, including over 50 children, were hospitalised while at least 1,000 others were exposed to the poisonous vapour.
By evening, the authorities evacuated almost 5,000 people to nine shelter homes. And, 20-25 people are in critical condition, battling for life. At least three people fell in a sewage canal and died on the spot, many others fell unconscious by the wayside; cattle, stray dogs and birds too suffocated to death.
The leaked gas left even plants discoloured. District Collector Vinay Chand said though the information was received around 4.15 am, none could venture into the area as Styrene concentration in the atmosphere was too much to withstand.
Ambulances could rush to the scene only after 5 am. Rescue personnel went door-to-door in RR Venkatapuram, the worst-hit village, to evacuate the residents who were rushed out of the danger zone in RTC buses, ambulances, autos and whatever vehicles were available.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and held a meeting with officials of the Home Ministry and the National Disaster Management Authority to take stock of the situation.
The exact cause of the tragedy remains unclear but police booked cases against LG Polymers Ltd under Sections 337, 338 and 304 (Causing death by negligence & causing grievous hurt by endangering life or personal safety of others). Some semblance of normalcy returned only five to six hours after the gas began leaking as attention shifted to the hospitals.
The affected were admitted mostly to the King George Hospital, besides Care, KIMS, Apollo, Pradhama and others.
A resident of Venkatapuram, undergoing treatment at the KGH, recalled, “My eyes were burning. I collapsed twice after I opened the doors. I don’t even know how my husband, myself and our children have reached the hospital. My two children are being treated here.”
There was confusion and chaos at KGH with families separated. Krishna Bhaskar was one among them.
“My brother and his family live beside LG Polymers. As we reached KGH, we could only find my brother and his wife but not their children and my sister-in-law was constantly asking for them,” he said.
Company says it will cooperate with govt to prevent such accidents
After frantically searching at several hospitals, he located his brother’s children at the Gopalpatnam Government Hospital.
There were several like Krishna Bhaksar’s family.
Among the sick were a few policemen too who went to the spot early but collapsed after inhaling the gas.
DCP Udaya Bhaskar and a constable were among such cops.
With several doctors on COVID-19 duty, the responsibility of treating the gas leak patients fell on PG doctors and medicos.
The availability of ventilators too added to the tension.
Fortunately, the Indian Navy stepped in, supplying much-needed oxygen to the KGH. The residents in the affected villages were caught unawares and many didn’t realise till much later what was happening.
No alarm was sounded by LG Polymers soon after the gas leaked — a point highlighted by the Chief Minister.
The accident occurred while the plant was in the process of being recommissioned after the lockdown was relaxed. At the time of the incident, there were 20 contract workers and two engineers on duty at plant.
But what exactly caused the leak? Collector Vinay Chand said, “Styrene monomer is stored in two tanks - 2,500-kilo litres and 3,500 kilolitres capacity. The 2,500 KL tank, which had 1,700 KL of the chemical in liquid form, started leaking it. The monomer is in liquid form if stored under 20 degree Celsius. Due to some technical problem, the refrigeration was not effective leading to a temperature rise. This led to the monomer getting auto-polymerised and turning into gas.”
LG Polymers, whose representatives met Jagan at the Vizag airport, in a statement said, “We would like to express our deepest condolences to the deceased and their families. At this moment our top priority is to work closely with the local government and the authorities to ensure medical help is provided to all those who have been affected by this incident. As a responsible global citizen it is our responsibility to ensure the health and safety of all local residents and our employees. We have mobilized our technical teams to work with the investigating authorities to arrive at the exact cause of the incident. As a global company, we hold international environment and safety standards with the highest regard and will do our best to cooperate with the authorities to ensure there is no further recurrence.”
At the plant itself, even by Thursday night, NDRF and other technical personnel were trying to plug the leak.
‘Technical error caused leak’
“Styrene in LG Polymers is stored in liquid form and stays so if the temperature is under 20 degrees Celsius. Due to some technical error, refrigeration wasn’t effective, leading to rise in temperature and eventual leakage,” said district Collector Vinay Chand
Over the years
The facility was set up in 1965 by Hindustan Polymers Ltd and amalgamated with McDowell & Company in 1982. It comprised styrene, polystyrene and alcohol-based distillery.
But given the proximity of populated areas, McDowell decommissioned polluting plants, including the production of styrene and the alcohol-based distillery. LG Polymers took over the unit from McDowell in 1997 and renamed it ‘LG Polymers Ltd’
Companies dodge NGT compensations
Of the Rs 645 crore compensation awarded by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) between 2014 and 2019 for victims of hazardous chemical leaks, only `2 crore has been paid by the defaulting industries till now, said a report by think tank Vidhi Centre for Legal Policies.
