Balasore: Over 100 persons working at a prawn processing unit were taken ill due to ammonia gas leak Wednesday in Khantapada area in Balasore district. The incident triggered panic in the area.
Reports said, all the labourers including women complained of dizziness and nausea following the leak at the prawn processing unit at around 9.00pm. About 70 of the labourers were admitted to the district headquarters hospital while others were taken to private hospitals. Among those who have been affected by the ammonia gas leak, many are women.
Thirty labourers are under treatment at Khantapada health centre. Police and firefighters have been carrying out rescue operations at the site.
Collector K Sudarshan Chakraborty, sub-collector Nilu Mohapatra, SP B Jugal Kishore Kumar and tehsildar Debjani Bhuyan rushed to the spot and took stock of the situation.
ADM Sambit Nayak, district emergency officer Abhay Nayak, CDMO Dr Bannerjee Prasad Chhotray, DSP Umesh Panda and other officials visited the district headquarters hospital and reviewed the situation and assessed the condition of the patients.
The prawn processing plant is 18kms from NH16. It usually exports prawn abroad. However, it is not clear about what led to leakage of the gas at the plant. Police have started an investigation.
PNN