Bhubaneswar/Chennai: The death toll in ammonia gas leak at a seafood processing and export facility in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district mounted to 13 with three more women from Odisha succumbing on Thursday.
According to a health department bulletin issued on Friday, the latest fatalities include Rita Juanga, Sumitra and Pinki Juanga, all from Kendujhar. Two among these deaths were reported from Government Stanley Medical College Hospital while the third one occurred at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).
Other deceased from the state are Subasi Juanga, Gumani Juanga (15), Phulomani Juanga, Shibani Juanga, Geeta Juanga, Champabati Juanga, Purnima Juanga, and Parbati Juanga. All belong to Juang community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). The other two victims are from Assam.
While bodies of eight migrant workers have been airlifted to Odisha, the remains of the remaining three will be transported after the completion of necessary legal formalities, the bulletin said, adding that 25 more from the state are under treatment.
A wave of profound grief has swept across several tribal villages – Tangiri , Rangamatia, Gumura, Kopsa, Sunapeta – in the district with heartbreaking wails of grieving mothers and family members, who are struggling to comprehend the sudden loss. “They went there to work and earn some money… now everything is gone,” a relative shared through tears.
The incident claimed four of five women from one village.
According to the family of 16-year-old Sumitra, she passed her Class X exams in 2025 but was unable to afford higher education. Seeking a way to finance her studies, she traveled to Tamil Nadu for work.
In the wake of the tragedy, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi has announced an ex-gratia compensation of ₹10 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.
The tragedy predominantly affected migrant women workers from Odisha and Assam, many of whom were employed at the facility, which also provided on-site accommodation. The leak, believed to have originated from a pipeline or valve failure during routine operations, quickly spread across the premises, exposing dozens of workers, resting in nearby hostel rooms, to the toxic gas. They suffered severe respiratory distress and other symptoms.
