Over 10 Workers Fall Ill After Gas Leak At Prawn Plant In Odisha’s Balasore

Bhubaneswar: Over 10 persons fell ill after allegedly inhaling ammonia gas that leaked from a prawn processing plant in Odisha’s Balasore district on Thursday evening.

According to sources, the incident took place in a factory at Gadimala near Nilagiri. While some of the victims complained of uneasiness, the other fell unconscious. They were rescued and admitted to Community Health Centre at Nilagiri.

It was later alleged that attempts were being made to hush up the matter since some of the victims were minor girls. Balasore MP candidate Pratap Sarangi along with some locals also reportedly caught some people, who were allegedly trying to secretly take a minor girl out of the hospital late last night.

Sarangi visited the local police station along with the labourers of the factory and demanded strict action against the firm. “It’s a gross irresponsibility on the part of the company. An investigation should be jointly launched into the incident by the Labour Department and police, and stern action should be taken against it. All the minors working in the company should be rescued and rehabilitated,” he told the media.

District Labour Officer Shuva Narayan Sahu said that the incident is being investigated.

A similar incident was reported in the district in September 2022 when 28 workers fell ill after ammonia gas leaked at a prawn processing plant owned by the son of a former MP, Rabindra Jena.