Five dead, 67 hospitalised after ammonia leak at TN shrimp processing unit

The death toll from an ammonia gas leak at a shrimp processing unit in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district rose to five on Monday, prompting the state government to order an inquiry and launch inspections of hazardous industries across the state.

According to a health department bulletin issued on Monday morning, three additional deaths were reported overnight following the incident at the processing facility in Periyapalayam. Sixty-seven people remain under treatment at various hospitals.

The Hindu reported that two workers, identified as Jumani Juang and B. Malothi, both migrant labourers from Odisha, had died shortly after the leak occurred on Sunday. The latest fatalities have taken the total number of deaths to five.

Police have arrested the proprietor of the company and the factory manager. Authorities said both individuals were facing a pending case linked to earlier violations of industrial safety regulations.

Chief minister C. Joseph Vijay announced the formation of a three-member committee to investigate the incident and determine the circumstances that led to the leak.

According to an official statement, the panel comprises the director of industrial safety and health, the member secretary of the Pollution Control Board and the additional director of public health. The committee has been directed to submit an interim report within 24 hours and a final report within three days.

The state government has also ordered immediate joint inspections of hazardous industrial units to prevent similar accidents in the future.

In addition, the Chief Minister announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each from the chief minister's Public Relief Fund to the families of the deceased workers. The Tamil Nadu government will also bear the cost of transporting the bodies of the migrant workers to their home state for final rites.

The incident has renewed concerns over industrial safety standards and compliance at facilities handling hazardous substances, particularly after authorities revealed that previous safety-related cases were already pending against those managing the unit.