Vizag gas leak: Residents spend sleepless night as gas tank blast rumors go viral
By Newsmeter Network Published on 8 May 2020 5:28 AM GMT
Visakhapatnam: People living in the vicinity of LG Polymers India Private Limited (LGPI) spent a sleepless night after rumors spread that gas tanks in the plant will explode anytime.
People of RR Venkatapuram, Sujathanagar Chinamushiriwada, and Gopalapatnam ran out of their homes on Thursday night after fake messages about gas tank blast went viral on social media.
“We have seen gas leakage from the LGPI at around 11 pm. We went to Visalakshinagar (around 12 km away from LGPI) for safety. We spent a sleepless night. We have no idea what will happen,” said K Suresh Kumar, a resident of the Gopalapatnam area in the city.
The BRTS road was crowded with commuters as most of the people left for safer places. “Utter traffic chaos prevailed near Hanumanthuwaka Junction as almost 70 percent of residents from RR Venkatapuram and surrounding areas headed to different places,” said K Praveen, a police constable.
A senior police officer said that social media has created confusion and panic among the people by spreading the rumors that tanks of LGPI will blast and the human loss will be more.
“We asked very few people evacuate within a 2 km radius of LGPI as a precautionary measure. But people who stayed 3 km away from the LGPI also fled,” he said.
The situation is under control and the crucial chemical para-tertiary butyl catechol (PTBC) will be used on Friday morning to neutralize the impact of the styrene gas leak and contain the spread.
City Police Chief RK Meena said the situation at LGPI was under control and people need not panic. “Except five areas near the LGPI, the people of other areas need not vacate their homes,” he added.
