South Korean chemicals giant LG Chem sent an eight-member team from Seoul to investigate and rehabilitate the victims of the Visakhapatnam gas tragedy that killed at least 11 people and forced the evacuation of thousands from the area around the accident site earlier this week.
The company said that the main objective of the task force is to "promptly support responsible rehabilitation."
"An eight-member technical team from the Seoul headquarters, led by the president of our petrochemicals company, has been dispatched to LG Polymers India. This team will work closely on-ground along with the concerned authorities to resolve the situation and assist with real-time remedial and rehabilitation measures,” said LG Polymers India, a unit of LG Chem, in a statement.
The technical team is comprising experts from production, environment, and safety areas and it will investigate the cause of the incident, it said.
"The president, along with the dispatched team, will meet with the victims and affected families to explain support measures in detail and also hold meetings with local state government officials,” it added.
Environmental activists and human rights groups have alleged that the company compromised standard safety precautions which led to the disaster.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed an interim penalty of Rs 50 crore on the company, as a 5-member committee was set up to probe the gas leak incident. NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel noted that "there appears to be a failure to comply with the said Rules and other statutory provisions."
The gas leakage from the plant was reported on Thursday morning last week after the company tried to restart operations following partial easing of the coronavirus lockdown.
Earlier, on Saturday, LG Chem said it was committed to working closely with concerned authorities to investigate the cause of the incident, prevent recurrence in future and secure the foundation for care and treatment. The firm said a special task force has been set up to help victims and families to resolve any issues and provide every assistance to the bereaved families.
PTI inputs