At least six people are dead after a chemical gas leakage at an LG Polymers facility located near Visakhapatnam in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, a local government official said on Thursday.
More than 120 people from villages in the Visakhapatnam district have been taken to hospitals following a suspected leak of styrene gas at the plant, Reuters reported citing the official.
At least three surrounding villages were being evacuated, he said.
“We expect it to take at least an hour to complete evacuation of these villages,” the official added.
There is a gas leakage identified at LG Polymers facility, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) said in a tweet, as it requested citizens in the vicinity of the plant to stay indoors.
Images posted on Twitter showed emergency services including police officers, fire tenders, ambulances at the spot.
Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the images.
South Korean battery maker LG Chemical Ltd, the owner of the facility, was not immediately available for comment.
