Bhubaneswar: The death toll of workers from Odisha in the ammonia gas leak mishap at a seafood processing factory in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district has risen to 12 after a woman from Anugola district died during treatment on Friday.
The deceased has been identified as Budhubari Naik of Anugola district. She had been on ventilator support since the accident after being exposed to toxic ammonia gas at the seafood processing unit. Following her death, the toll in the gas leak incident has gone up to 14.
Officials of the Odisha Labour Department said four Odia workers who were undergoing treatment have been discharged from hospital. They are returning to Odisha by train along with 58 other migrant workers employed at the same factory.
The bodies of the 11 deceased Juang women from Kendujhar district have already been received by their families. Following the completion of postmortem formalities, Naik’s body will also be brought to Odisha, officials said.
Other deceased from the state are Rita Juanga, 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.
Officers of the Odisha government are coordinating with the Tamil Nadu authorities to facilitate the transportation of the body, they said.
Notably, the Odisha government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs ten lakh each for the next of kin of all the deceased migrant workers.
The ammonia gas leak at the seafood processing facility in Tiruvallur district had exposed several workers to toxic fumes, resulting in multiple casualties and hospitalisations, with Odisha accounting for the majority of the victims.
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.
