CM Jagan closely monitoring gas leak incident

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is closely monitoring the gas leak incident in Visakhapatnam and has directed district officials to take steps to bring the situation under control.

At least six people have died and around 100 hospitalised after gas leaked from a chemical plant in Visakhapatnam.

The chief minister will be visiting the King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam where the injured are being treated.

"Hon'ble CM @ysjagan will leave for Vizag to visit the hospital where the affected are being treated," his office tweeted.

The chief minister is closely monitoring the situation and has directed the district officials to take every possible step to save lives and bring the situation under control, it added.

The toxic gas leaked from a plant of LG Polymers in Visakhapatnam in the early hours on Thursday. The plant had reopened after being shut due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

In a series of tweets, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has asked people of colonies and villages around the plant to leave for safe locations and use wet cloth as a mask to cover their nose and mouth.

South Korean company LG Polymers makes polystyrene and expandable polystyrene, a versatile plastic used to make a wide variety of consumer products like toys and appliances and has been in operation since 1961.