Even as the inter-district travel has been banned as part of the lockdown imposed to check the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of people from different parts of Visakhapatnam moved towards Kothavalasa in Vizianagaram district after the gas leak accident occurred at the LG polymers at R.R. Venkatapuram locality on Thursday.
The accident site is hardly 15 km from Kothavalasa and people living in the nearby areas fled in panic.
People living in NAD junction, Gopalapatnam, Pendurthi and other places ran for safety towards Chinatalapalam, Mangalapalem, Kothavalasa and other places.
The police personnel deployed at Chintalapalam checkpost could not control the people who came in huge numbers. The roads saw a traffic jam with the arrival of people in cars and bikes.
Police allow entry
The Police Department was forced to allow the people to cross the inter-district border. “People had no option but to reach Kothavalasa and the nearby villages to protect themselves from gas leak. The inter-district travel has been banned. But, it is matter of life and death here,” said B. Arun Kumar, a business man.
Sri Gurudeva Charitable Trust founder Raparthi Jagadish Babu and his team distributed breakfast, milk, tea to the families in Pendurthi, Chintalapalam, Mangalapalame and other places.
Mr. Jagadish Babu said the food prepared for the poor affected by the lockdown was served to the victims of gas leak accident.