Leakage of ammonia gas in an IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd) urea plant located at Phulpur in Prayagraj district in Uttar Pradesh killed two employees and injured 16 others on Tuesday night.
The accident occurred when the tie rods of an ammonia plunger pump suddenly broke and got detached leading to heavy ammonia leakage, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. It added that a technical enquiry committee led by an Executive Director level officer has been constituted to probe the cause of the incident.
While Deputy Manager Abhay Nandan and Assistant Manager V P Singh lost their lives while trying to stop the leak, 13 other employees and three contract labourers injured. While 10 of them underwent treatment at the township hospital, six were shifted to a hospital in Prayagraj. Two of the injured were already discharged, all others are said to be stable, the statement said.
The leakage was brought under control in considerably short time, preventing the spread of noxious gas to more areas, IFFCO said.