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At least five people died, and over 60 others were injured after an ammonia gas leak at a private seafood processing unit in Manjangaranai near Periyapalayam
in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district on Sunday (June 21). According to officials, the leak occurred at the seafood export unit, triggering panic among workers, many of whom were young women employed at the facility. The affected workers were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. Several patients remain in critical condition, with some requiring ventilator support. Critically ill patients were later shifted to the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai for advanced treatment.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) 4th Battalion headquarters in Arakkonam was immediately alerted about the emergency.
The rescue team, comprising 30 NDRF personnel from Chennai, reached the location equipped with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), gas detection devices, and specialized CBRN rescue equipment to carry out emergency response operations.
PM Expresses Condolences, CM Announces Probe
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arleker and opposition leaders of Tamil Nadu expressed their condolences on social media.Taking to X, PM Modi expressed his condolences to the bereaved families. “I convey my deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this incident. I pray the injured recover soon,” wrote the Prime Minister.
Governor Arleker said he was "deeply saddened" by the tragic incident which has resulted in the loss of precious lives and caused injuries to several workers.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund to the families of the two victims. He also directed officials to make arrangements at government expense for transporting the bodies to their native states and conducting the final rites. CM Vijay further instructed authorities to ensure that all injured workers receive the best possible medical treatment.
In response to the incident, the Chief Minister also ordered a detailed investigation. A team comprising officials from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, the Directorate of Public Health, and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has been directed to submit a preliminary report within 24 hours and a comprehensive report within three days.
Meanwhile, Periyapalayam police have taken owner and the manager of the company into custody for questioning.
'Never Seen A Leak Of This Scale'
The police initially said the death toll was seven, but a CMO release and Health Minister KG Arunraj later put it at two. Speaking to reporters, Arunraj, as per a report by PTI, said that an ammonia gas leak with an impact of this scale has never happened.“Doctors say we haven’t seen cases with such high levels anywhere in else,” the minister said.
He also said the health condition of some patients show a worsening trend, adding that critical patients have been shifted out of private hospitals to government hospitals.
Both patients who have been declared dead were treated in private hospitals, he added. “One person was brought dead to the private hospital, and the other person passed away without responding to treatment there,” he said.
According to the minister, there are 28 patients at Vels Medical College, 18 at Venkateshwara Hospital, 10 at Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital (MMC) and seven at Government Stanley Hospital.
A total of 64 workers on duty, comprising 60 women and four men, were affected by the sudden gas leak.
(With Inputs from ANI and PTI)
