At Least Eleven Dead, Thousands Evacuated in India Gas Leak

Smokes rise from an LG Polymers plant following a gas leak incident in Visakhapatnam on May 7.Photographer: AFP via Getty Images
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A gas leak at an LG Chem Ltd. polymer plant in southern India has killed at least 11 people and forced the evacuation of thousands in the city of Visakhapatnam after the company tried to restart operations following the partial easing of the country’s coronavirus lockdown.

More than 20 people were in a critical condition in the city’s hospital, National Disaster Response Force Director General S. N. Pradhan told reporters Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office is monitoring the relief work, while a team from the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear unit, along with environmental experts, will help manage “the crisis on the ground,” the government said in a statement.