The government on Tuesday announced that the death toll from an ammonia gas leak at a private seafood processing and export plant in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district has climbed to nine. The hazardous leak occurred on June 21 during routine industrial operations, and all of the victims were women.
The Health Department reported that 69 individuals had been hospitalized and were under close observation. It added that monitoring and evaluation of the impacted area were underway to safeguard public safety, while district officials and medical facilities were working together on treatment, surveillance, and response efforts.
According to the department, seven of the women who died were from Odisha and two were from Assam. Eight of the victims have been identified as Shibani, Jumani Juang, Geetha Juanga, Purinama Juanga, Champabati Juanga, Parbavathi Juanga, Sita Hasda and Anjita Soren, while one woman has not yet been identified.
The leak occurred at a facility in the Kannigaipair/Manjungaranai region near Periyapalayam. Those affected were taken to hospitals with serious symptoms of ammonia exposure, such as acute shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, and irritation of the eyes and respiratory system.
Among those admitted, 27 were receiving treatment at Vels Hospital, 18 at Venkateswara Hospital, 11 at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, and 13 at Stanley Medical College Hospital, while two others had already been discharged.
The precise cause of the accident is still being investigated. The Health Department stated that it will keep a close watch on the situation and guarantee suitable medical treatment for everyone impacted, as the death toll remained at nine and those hospitalized continued to be under observation.