Survivors of Tiruvallur ammonia leak tragedy reel from grief, gloom, uncertainty

TIRUVALLUR: A routine Sunday morning turned fatal within minutes at St Peter-Paul Sea Foods Exports in Kannigaipair village, Tiruvallur, where an ammonia gas leak has so far claimed seven lives and left several others under treatment. As officials probe the incident, worker interviews have raised questions over emergency warnings, evacuation procedures and the possible employment of underage workers at the facility.

Among those under treatment is a 17-year-old worker from Odisha who is shifted to the general ward at a private hospital in Kannigaipair on Monday morning. She was still suffering from severe coughing and vomiting. Workers accounts suggest there could be more employees below the age of 18.

A 20-year-old male survivor told DT Next his younger sister was hospitalised following the leak. She is 16. The exact number of underage workers could not be independently verified.

“We could not individually verify the age as many workers’ Aadhaar cards are held by agents. We’re in the process of recovering them. Most of them appear to be between 18 and 25 years old,” said a revenue official overseeing relief arrangements.

Worker accounts also offer clues as to why women appear to have borne the brunt of the tragedy. Their quarters were located around 50 metres from the refrigeration unit, while male workers were housed farther away. The leak occurred around 10.30 am, shortly after employees finished breakfast and returned to their rooms.

“Around 10-15 minutes after breakfast, we smelled the gas coming out,” a worker recalled. “We didn’t understand what was happening at first. There was a smell but we did not know exactly what it was. Everything happened suddenly.”

As on Monday, around 152 workers (93 men and 59 women) are being accommodated at a private marriage hall nearby, where they are medically monitored and assisted. Most are from Odisha, Jharkhand and Assam.

The hall remains engulfed in grief and uncertainty. Groups of women in their twenties sat consoling one another, waiting anxiously for updates from hospitals. Food served to workers remained untouched despite repeated attempts by officials and volunteers. The atmosphere grew heavier on Monday afternoon when news spread that another worker had succumbed, taking the toll to eight.

Many realised the seriousness only after the gas had already spread through the affected section. Workers involved in shifting victims said several persons quickly developed severe respiratory distress. “A lot of foam and mucus was coming out, we were scared,” one worker recalled.

On the emergency response, workers alleged no warning siren was heard before the gas spread, and that many became aware of the leak only after seeing people collapse.

Industrial safety regulations require factories, which are handling hazardous processes, to maintain an on-site emergency plan with clearly defined procedures for raising alarms, communication, evacuation and medical response in the event of an accident. While workers alleged confusion in the initial response and said they were not informed about the nature of the emergency. Questions have also been raised over the timeline of evacuation and hospitalisation.

Despite hospitals being located nearby, workers alleged ambulances arrived late and victims were transported over several hours. A doctor at a private hospital in Periyapalayam confirmed patients were still arriving around 1 pm.

“This industry had multiple leaks earlier,” alleged former Kannigaipair panchayat councillor Kumar Dhanapal. “Residents had staged protests seeking action against the facility before. This tragedy has drawn attention only because it resulted in fatalities.”