Women workers faint due to fire accident at seafood processing plant in Tamil Nadu

Thoothukudi: As many as 17 women employees fainted after experiencing suffocation following a fire accident at a private seafood processing plant here, officials said on Saturday.

As many as five fire tenders were pressed into service after an electric short-circuit led to the incident in the plant located at Pudurpandiapuram late on Friday night, an official of the factory said.

"The incident occurred on Friday night due to a fire accident. As smoke emanated due to the fire, the place was covered with thick fumes leading to the suffocation of the employees with a majority of them comprising women," the plant's General Manager Velmurugan said.

"There were nearly 120 employees in the factory who were working in two shifts. Currently, 17 of them required hospitalisation and are admitted to various private hospitals located in the vicinity. Five fire tenders were pressed into service and nearly after three to four hours, the fire was put out," he told reporters.

He said all the 17 women employees were safe and denied that there was no leakage of 'ammonia' nor was there any gas leak at the plant, as it was reported in a section of the media.

"There is no leak of ammonia... It is wrong news" he shot back to a query.

Two of the fire tenders fell sick after inhaling the smoke and they too have been admitted to the hospital here, he said.

"We have suspended the factory operations. All the women including those hailing nearby areas, and those who were staying in the hostel located in the plant premises were shifted to a different plant as part of precautionary measures," he said.

Currently, officials were engaged in inspecting the place where the incident occurred, he said.

Meanwhile, a senior police officer said a case was yet to be booked following the incident.

"We are collecting details and after that we will be able to share information," he said.