Tamil Nadu ammonia gas leak: Ennore panics after leaking sub-sea pipe emits strong odour; five people hospitalised
ammonia gas leak incident shook Ennore, Tamil Nadu on December 26 night when residents felt a strong smell from a rupture in a sub-sea pipe of Coromandel International Limited.
Five people reported feeling uneasy, and were admitted in a health facility.
The rupture reportedly occurred during the pre-cooling operation of the pipeline. The leak was later plugged.
The Tamil Nadu Environment and Forest Department subsequently issued a statement: «Ammonia gas leak detected in a sub-sea pipe in Ennore.
This was noticed and stopped. The production head says the leak caused a strong smell and five people felt uneasy and were shifted to a health facility.
They are fine now.»
«No need to panic. The leak has been stabilised.
No more gas (ammonia) leaks at Ennore. People are reassured and are back home.
medical and police teams present,» DIG, Joint Commissioner Avadi, Vijayakumar tweeted.
The Environment and Forest Department told media that a message was received from the unit at 12.45 am regarding the leakage.
«Immediately the Joint Chief Environmental Engineer JCEE (M) Chennai along with District Environmental Engineer DEE (Ambattur) and AEE (Manali) reached the site by 2.15 am and inspected the unit and the pipeline locations. The Joint Director, Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) who is the authority for the safety of the industrial operation was also present at the site,» ANI reported Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary Environment Climate Change and Forests, as saying.
Reports revealed that the unit saw a drop in pressure in the pipeline at around 11.45 pm and «felt a pungent smell spreading around the storage terminal and near the material gate».
«The unit also immediately visited the pipeline
