Gas leak at Pharma City leaves two contract workers dead in Vizag

In yet another industrial accident in the city, there was a gas leak at the Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City (JNPC), at Parawada in Vizag, in the late hours of Sunday night. Two young workers, aged around 25, died after inhaling poisonous gases that were emanating from the pump house at JNPC.

The two young workers have been identified as Manikanta and Durga Prasad. Both of them were working on the night shift and were checking the levels of the waste when the poisonous gases started to leak from the pump house. According to the police, one worker collapsed immediately and the other alerted the security forces at the Pharma City unit. Soon both of them succumbed, even before they were shifted to the nearest hospital.

To ascertain further details regarding the gas leak leak incident at the Pharma City, the bodies have been shifted to King George Hospital (KGH) in Vizag for post-mortem.

Reportedly, the Parawada police have informed that the gas leak has been contained and the situation has been brought under control. The police are yet to ascertain complete details.

Earlier in August 2021, a major accident was averted as a minor gas leak occurred at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in Vizag. The incident happened at the Crude Oil Distillation Unit-2 (CDU). Soon after the gas leak, a siren was sounded alerting the workers who ran out of the unit immediately. The technical team of HPCL Visakhapatnam immediately rushed to the spot and brought the gas leak under control. The cause of the gas leak is yet to be determined by the HPCL management.