At least 6 people have been killed after a poisonous gas leak in Gerdau Steel India Limited in Tadepatri of Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.
The cause of leak is not known as yet, according to a report in ANI.
The dead were identified as: B Ranganath (21), K Manoj Kumar (24), U Gangadhar (37), SA Wasim Basha (39), K Shiva Maddileti alias Lingaiah (26) and Guruvaiah (40).
According to Tadipatri rural sub-inspector Ramakrishna Reddy, the accident happened around 5.30 pm at the Gerdau Steel India Limited on the outskirts of the town.
District Superintendent of Police G Ashok Kumar told news agency PTI over phone that the mishap occurred while testing was being done after maintenance work in the unit.
As per preliminary information, two workers died on the spot and four others in hospital. Carbon monoxide is the main gas used for reheating process and its leak caused the mishap," the SP said.
There was no clear information about injuries to other workers, he said, adding rescue operation was being carried out.
However, news agency ANI reported that conditions of five workers were critical.
Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister (Home) N China Rajappa expressed grief over the deaths.
Gerdau is a leading company in steels in USA and it is one of the biggest suppliers of special steel in the world. It has offices in 14 countries in America, Europe and Asia. Gerdau’s Indian steel plant is situated at Tadipatri, Andhra Pradesh and has an installed capacity of 3 lakh tons of steel production per year.
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