At least 11 people, including a child, died in a toxic styrene gas leak at a chemical plant in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, India, television reported. India's national disaster response agency said more than 1000 people were poisoned in the chemical disaster, at least 25 of whom were in critical condition.

According to local officials, the leak occurred at about 3 am on the 7th, when most residents near the chemical plant were sleeping. At daybreak, many people were found lying on the ground, motionless on the road, in ditches and in houses in nearby villages. The toxic gas has now spread to 20 villages with a radius of 3 km. While evacuating the crowd, police are also rescuing comatose villagers from door to door. According to the times of India, about 5000 people suffered from physical symptoms such as vomiting and nervous system damage after a toxic gas leak from a chemical plant.

The chemical plant in India was established in 1961 with the parent company LG of South Korea. It took more than 40 days for the new factory to stop work, and it was affected by the epidemic situation. AFP quoted Indian police as saying the leaked styrene came from two 5000 ton gas tanks and had not been managed by workers during the outbreak. Indian officials are investigating whether the leak was caused by a rush to work, Reuters said.

Source: China Environment News