Several women workers of an apparel firm fell sick after a gas leakage inside a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Andhra Pradesh's Anakapalle district. The gas leak took place at the premises of the Brandix India Apparel City SEZ in the Atchutapuram area. Many affected women complained of nausea, headache and burning sensation in the eyes. They were seen running out of their workplace, some of them coughing, others crying and struggling to stand upright. A few women who had collapsed had to be carried outside. A couple of pregnant women were also among those affected. Police said that all the affected employees were shifted to the hospital and are out of danger.
Anakapalli Superintendent of Police Gautami Sali told TNM that the source of the gas was yet to be detected. The number of workers affected is also still being verified, she said. The affected workers were working at an apparel company at the campus run by Brandix, another apparel manufacturing company. “The staff members present inside the Seeds Apparel India's hall complained of vomiting sensation and hence were shifted to the nearby hospitals," the SP told IANS. Brandix is spread over 1,000 acres of land and the campus has another company called Seeds Apparel India.
There were 1,800 people working in the company. All the staff members were evacuated, and affected employees were shifted to two private hospitals in Achutapuram and NTR hospital in Anakapalli. The authorities were reportedly screening all 1,800 employees. After the incident, Brandix suspended work and sent all employees home. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is in Delhi, inquired about the incident and directed officials to provide the best treatment to the affected. He also ordered a detailed probe into the incident.
In May 2020, 12 people were killed and over 500 persons were hospitalised following a styrene gas leak from an LG Polymers plant on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam. In June 2020, two persons were killed and four persons were hospitalised following a benzimidazole gas leak at Sainor Life Sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City in Parawada, Visakhapatnam.
With IANS inputs