Ongole: 16 women workers hospitalised

Ongole: As many as 16 women workers of Munnangi Sea Foods were hospitalised with vomiting, nausea and fever symptoms at Government General Hospital in Ongole on Wednesday. Though the trade unions alleged that it was an incident due to leakage of ammonia, used in the processing and freezing of prawns in the industry, district Collector AS Dinesh Kumar clarified that the women were suffering from viral infection. There was no incident of ammonia gas leakage, he said.

CITU Prakasam district committee secretary Gantenapalli Srinivasulu and KVPS district vice-president Vesapogu Moses visited the victims at GGH Ongole. They said that ammonia gas was leaked in the Munnangi Sea Foods at Vaviletipadu of Jarugumalli mandal on Wednesday. They said the victims were from Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and below 20 years of age. They demanded that a detailed investigation should be done on the alleged leakage of ammonia and inspect whether the safety measures are in place or not in the industry. However, Collector Dinesh Kumar informed that there was no life threat to the victims in the hospital. He explained that the reason for their ill health is not due to leakage of ammonia gas, but all of them have symptoms of viral infections.

He said that 15 of the 16 women were almost recovered and ready for discharge, but one patient undergoing treatment is under observation as she is suffering from high fever.