NEW DELHI: The Director-General of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) SN Pradhan on Thursday said that the police and the local administration came into action after locals reported throat and skin irritation and some toxic smell following a gas leak in Visakhapatnam.

"Around 1000-1500 people have been evacuated, and out of these people, more than 800 have been taken to hospital," he added.

Pradhan said, "The incident was reported by locals around 2:30 in the morning, it was because of throat irritation and skin irritation and toxic smell. They informed the local administration. The administration officials and fire tenders reached the location. The NDRF unit of Visakhapatnam was informed at 5 am in the morning; they reached the site in half an hour and started rescue operations."

"The focus right now is on the evacuation and treatment of the people, around three-four villages and 500 families have been affected, two villages near the incident have been affected more," he added.

Alleged gas leak from LG polymers created panic in Venkatapuram and five other villages in the wee hours on Thursday. 15 people were shifted to KGH following the incident.
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At least seven people have been killed, including a child and about 120 admitted to hospital after styrene gas leak in RR Venkatapuram village here on Thursday.

The mishap took place at LG Polymers industry early on Thursday morning.