Jagan orders probe into gas leak incident at garments unit near Vizag

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy ordered a high-level committee’s investigation into the incident of gas leak inside a garment unit at the Atchutapuram SEZ, near Visakhapatnam.

Over 100 women employees of Seeds Intimate Apparel India Private Limited unit fell ill at the site after inhaling an unknown, foul-smelling gas on Tuesday evening. Many of them presented symptoms such as nausea, pain and dizziness. While some of the women were given treatment within the premises, several others were rushed to hospitals in nearby Atchutapuram and Anakapalli towns. Officials said that none of them were in serious condition.

The Seeds unit is located within the Brandix India Apparel City, which manufactures intimate wear for some of the leading international brands.

A similar gas leak incident occurred at the same site two months ago on June 3, when hundreds of workers were affected in the same manner. The unit was shut for some days, but later resumed operations.

The origin of the unknown gas was not disclosed yet.

On Wednesday, chief minister Reddy held an incident review meeting and ordered the inquiry to find out the cause, and steps to be taken to prevent such incidents in the future. The chief minister also said that safety audits should be conducted, not just for the industry in question, but at all industrial units in the state.