Odisha: 28 Workers Fall Sick After Ammonia Gas Leak At Prawn Factory

After the incident took place the workers started complaining about respiratory problems due to inhaling of gas.

28 workers, many of them women, fell ill after inhaling ammonia gas that leaked from a unit of a leading prawn processing plant in Balasore district

Source : Twitter/ANI

New Delhi: At least 28 workers fell ill after inhaling ammonia gas that leaked from a unit of a leading prawn processing plant in Odisha’s Balasore district on Wednesday, reported news agency ANI. The incident took place in the prawn factory named Highland Agro Food Private Limited. Most of the workers who fell ill were women. 

After the incident took place the workers started complaining about respiratory problems due to inhaling of gas. They were immediately rushed to Khantapada Community health centre. Nine of the workers admitted which included five women were later shifted to Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital after their condition deteriorated further.

The incident is said to have occurred at around 7 pm at Gadabahanaga village in the Khantapada area of the district, as reported by ANI.

"While 28 were admitted to the local community health center at Khantapada, 15 were referred to Balasore. Till now only 7 workers were shifted to Balasore district headquarters hospital and out of them 4 are in serious condition & 3 are discharged," Chief District Medical Officer Balasore, Dr Julalsen Jagdev was quoted by ANI as saying. He also said that the workers who came in contact with the gas complained of burning of throat, nose and respiratory tract.

"Inhalation of lower concentrations can cause coughing, and nose and throat irritation. Many of them complained of problems in breathing and irritation in the eyes. We are giving them oxygen for breathing. The condition of the other 8 workers is not known whether they were admitted in other hospital or referred to Cuttack or Bhubaneswar," he said.

Balasore MP and former Union Minister Pratap Sadangi met the workers at the hospital and discussed their health condition with the doctors. Balasore Police are investigating the matter.

(With ANI Inputs)