Gas leak at LG plant leaves hundreds hospitalized
A chemical gas leak at a plant in southern India left several people dead and hundreds more hospitalized on Thursday (May 7).
That's according to police officials in Andhra Pradesh state, who say a child was among those who perished.
More than a thousand others in Visakhapatnam city have been evacuated.
Video showed emergency responders and fire services outside the plant and victims being carried away in ambulances.
However, South Korean battery maker LG Chemical, which runs the plant, says the leak is now under control, and that its cause is under investigation.
It also says the factory had been shut under India's nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
Authorities say styrene leaked at the facility during the early hours of the morning when families in the surrounding villages were asleep.
According to a company website, the plant makes polystyrene materials used in making electric fan blades, cutlery and containers for products like makeup.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he had spoken to officials from the federal home ministry and disaster authorities, who were monitoring the crisis.
In a tweet, he said "I pray for everyone's safety and well-being in Visakhapatnam."
