Expressing his grief, President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted "saddened by the news of gas leak in a plant near Visakhapatnam which has claimed several lives. My condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the recovery of the injured and the safety of all."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his condolences on Twitter in which the urged leaders in the area to provide all necessary support and assistance to those affected.
While Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday described the gas leak at a chemical plant in Andhra Pradesh''s Visakhapatnam as "disturbing" and said the central government is closely monitoring the situation.
"The incident in Vizag is disturbing. Have spoken to the NDMA officials and concerned authorities. We are continuously and closely monitoring the situation," Shah tweeted.
Even defence minister Rajnath Singh also expressed concern for the bereaved family members.
According to reports, the gas leak took place at the plant between 2.30 am and 3 am and spread over a radius of about three km, impacting around five villages, including R.R. Venkatapuram, Padmapuram, BC Colony and Kamparapalem.
Established in 1961 as Hindustan Polymers, the company was acquired by South Korea's LG Chem and renamed as LG Polymers India in 1997. The plant is into the manufacturing of polystyrene and expandable polystyrene, a versatile plastic used to make a wide variety of consumer products like toys and appliances.