PM Modi offers all help & support to Vizag gas leak affected Andhra Pradesh; HM Amit Shah is monitoring the situation; Chandrababu Naidu demands shutting down of LG Polymers plant

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has assured whatever help is needed will be given to  Andhra Pradesh government in the wake of several people confirmed dead and some hundred people fell sick in major leak of Styrene vapour from a private Polymers Limited plant at R R Venkatapuram village near Gopalapatnam in Visakhapatnam in the wee hours on Thursday, May 7. PM Modi spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to get himself apprised about the tragic incident. At least five villages in the vicinity are affected due to the leak spread over a five-km radius. Till  1800 hrs IST,11 persons were confirmed dead and 1,000 sick. Modi also spoke to officials of Home Ministry and NDMA and said the situation is being monitored closely. The Prime Minister also chaired a meet of National Disaster Management Authority on the gas leak. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah were also present in the meeting.  Amit Shah conveyed condolences to the families of the deceased in the mishap. Amit  Shah said that the Home Ministry is continuously and closely monitoring the situation. Most of the villagers, including children, suffered irritation in eyes, breathlessness, nausea and rashes due to leakage of Gas reports All India Radio. Visakhapatnam district in-charge minister K Kanna Babu, quoting the King George Hospital doctors, said those undergoing treatments were out of danger. About  60 persons were admitted to the King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam. Visakhapatnam Joint Collector K. Venugopal Reddy said people from R R Venkatapuram village have been fully evacuated and shifted to other places. Several police personnel, who came for the rescue operation, also suffered symptoms like breathlessness, irritation in eyes and fell unconscious. The incident happened when some workers of the plant were making preparations for the re-opening of the unit following the easing of the ongoing lockdown restrictions. When the leakage came out, the workers sprayed water as the first step but in vain affecting most of the people who were fast asleep. District Collector Vinay Chand said that the immediate priority is to arrest the leak and ensure proper medicate to the affected people. Teams of NDRF, police were engaged to bring the normalcy in those affected areas.  President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan have also expressed shock over the accident. They conveyed condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for the recovery of the injured and the safety of all. He expressed confidence that the administration is doing everything possible to bring the situation under control at the earliest. In a series of tweets, VP  Naidu said he spoke to Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy. They assured him that needed assistance is being given to ensure the safety of the people. Former Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu has urged Commerce & Industry Minister  Piyush Goyal for bringing in specialists from India & abroad to deliver expert medical care to residents of Visakhapatnam. (The picture is tweeted by All India Radio)