Four die in gas leak incident at a chemical factory in Nellore

Nellore: Four died at Venkata Narayana Active Ingredients Private Limited, formerly Nutra Specialities Private Limited, located at Chandrapadia village in Vinjamur Mandal on Tuesday due to a reported gas leak. The deceased were identified as Sk.Sharif, P.Srinu from Vinjamur, Tirupataiah from Choutabheemavaram and Tirupataiah from Tirumalapuram.

Sources said a leak to the gas pipeline that enters the reactor reportedly was the reason for the death of three workers and still there are many workers feeling sick. Local police and officials rushed to the spot for relief activities. Earlier three people died in a blast in the same plant when four workers received severe injuries.

Venkata Narayana Active Ingredients Private Limited, formerly Nutra Specialities Private Limited, a pharmaceutical unit that supplies products to its clients, for around 15 years as producing active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Nutra Specialities which was started in 2006 in the village has been renamed Venkata Narayana Active Ingredients subsequently.

After the blast in July last year, district officials stopped production till further orders. The company is currently making 19 varieties of drugs where there are more than 350 workers. Local people have been staging protests for some years on the pollution being generated from the unit.