India gas leak: At least eight dead after Visakhapatnam accident

Eight people have died, with hundreds of others taken ill, after a gas leak in south India.

The leak, in the city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state, has been traced to the LG Polymers plant, reports BBC.

Doctors say "hundreds" of people have been taken to hospital - many complaining of a burning sensation in the eyes and difficulties breathing.

The incident, which took place around 03:00 local time (21:30 GMT), may have been due to negligence, officials say.

The leak occurred when the plant was being re-opened for the first time since 24 March when India went into lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The state Industries Minister Goutam Reddy told BBC Telugu that it looked as though proper procedures and guidelines were not followed when the plant was being re-opened.

Swaroop Rani, a senior police official in Visakhapatnam, told AFP that the plant had been left idle because of the lockdown.

"[The gas] was left there because of the lockdown. It led to a chemical reaction and heat was produced inside the tanks, and the gas leaked because of that."

Local villagers complained around 03:30 and police immediately went to the scene, but had to quickly retreat for fear of being poisoned, the news agency quoted her as saying.

"One could feel the gas in the air and it was not possible for any of us to stay there for more than a few minutes," she said.

As the gas spread, residents ran out of their homes in panic. Distressing images of people fainting and dropping unconscious on the streets are being shared on social media.

Some factory employees are believed to have been inside when the leak occurred, but officials say they have no information about them.

It is feared that the fumes have spread over a radius of about 3km (2 miles) and officials have been evacuating people from surrounding areas.

A district health official said at least 1,000 people had been sent to hospitals and many others were feared to be unconscious in their homes.

"There are people who were sleeping," AFP quoted BK Naik as saying. "We are working to get people to the hospital. They need oxygenation and fresh air," he said.

A senior district official said that initial attempts to control the gas leak were unsuccessful. However, local news agencies have reported that the situation is now under control.

Meanwhile, Rajendra Reddy, a senior official in the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, told the BBC that the leaked gas was styrene, which is usually refrigerated.