Nation

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; Chennai | June 22: The death toll from the ammonia gas leak at a shrimp processing factory in the Periyapalayam area of Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district has risen to five. All the victims were migrant women workers. The incident also left 67 workers seriously ill due to exposure to the toxic gas. The accident took place on Sunday, following which police arrested the owner of the private processing unit.

Information released by the Tamil Nadu Health Minister’s office on Monday, five people have lost their lives in the gas leak tragedy, while 67 affected workers remain admitted to hospitals for treatment. Two other workers who were hospitalised following the incident have been discharged after their condition improved.

Police said that the private shrimp processing factory is located in Kannagaipair village of Tiruvallur district, where around 120 workers are employed. A majority of them are women migrant labourers who came from states such as Assam, Odisha, and Jharkhand. The workers were provided accommodation inside the factory premises.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the ammonia gas leaked from the section of the factory where shrimp processing activities were carried out. The gas rapidly spread into the residential quarters of the workers within the premises, causing many of them to suffer from severe breathing difficulties and other health complications.

Emergency teams rushed the affected workers to nearby hospitals, where they are currently undergoing treatment. The tragic incident has raised serious concerns regarding industrial safety standards and the living conditions of migrant workers staying within factory compounds.

Authorities have launched a detailed investigation into the cause of the leak, while police action has already been initiated against the factory management. Further inquiries are underway to determine whether any negligence or violation of safety regulations contributed to the deadly accident.