Death toll in Tiruvallur ammonia leak tragedy rises to 15

CHENNAI: The death toll in the ammonia gas leak at a private seafood processing and export unit near Periyapalayam in Tiruvallur district has risen to 15, while 40 affected workers remain under treatment, the Tamil Nadu Health Department said in a status bulletin issued on Friday evening.

The bulletin said 83 people were exposed to the gas leak that occurred on June 21 at the facility in the Kannigaipair-Manjangaranai area.

Of the 40 patients undergoing treatment, two are on ventilator support, nine are receiving oxygen therapy, and 29 are in stable condition. Twenty-eight patients have been discharged.

The affected workers are from Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The Health Department said emergency medical teams, ambulances, district officials, police, fire and rescue personnel were mobilised immediately after the incident. Eleven bodies have been airlifted to Odisha and two to Assam, while the remaining two will be transported after legal formalities are completed. The department said surveillance and medical monitoring are continuing.

The Tamil Nadu government has appointed a three-member committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the leak.