7 women killed in toxic gas leak at Tamil Nadu seafood plant

CHENNAI: Seven women workers were killed and dozens more hospitalised after a major ammonia gas leak at a seafood processing and export unit in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district, Indian media reports said on Sunday.

The leak occurred at a private seafood processing facility in Kannigaipair village near Periyapalayam, where around 120 migrant workers, many of them women from Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand, were staying on the premises, according to reports.

Authorities said 67 workers were affected by the toxic gas leak and rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. Tiruvallur District Collector S. Kavitha said 46 workers were admitted to one hospital and 21 to another, while nine critically ill patients were later transferred to Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai.

According to the Times of India and India TV, several workers complained of breathing difficulties, while some suffered bleeding from the mouth and nose after the ammonia spread through the residential area of the factory complex.

Doctors treating the victims said most of the affected workers were young women in their early twenties. A senior physician at a private hospital said 15 to 16 patients had to be intubated, with 11 placed on ventilator support.

Suspected valve failure

Rescue teams from the police, fire service, health department and revenue authorities rushed to the site.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed a specialised Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) response team from Arakkonam. A 30-member unit equipped with gas detection devices, protective gear and specialised rescue equipment was sent to contain the emergency.

Officials said a suspected valve failure may have triggered the leak, though the exact cause remains under investigation.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay ordered the formation of a three-member inquiry committee comprising officials from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, the Pollution Control Board and the Public Health Department. The panel has been asked to submit an interim report within 24 hours and a final report within three days.

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar expressed grief over the tragedy, offering condolences to the families of those killed and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident.