About 60 hospitalised after ammonia leak at India fertiliser plant

CHENNAI — About 60 people have been hospitalised following an ammonia leak from a pipeline belonging to Indian fertiliser company Coromandel International near its Ennore plant in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, said the government.

They were hospitalised after experiencing difficulty breathing and a burning sensation in the eyes. A total of 52 people are still under observation, the government said in a statement.

The leak took place on the night of Dec 26 when Coromandel’s fertiliser manufacturing unit was preparing to receive an ammonia shipment through its 2.5km undersea pipeline.

“The unit observed (a) pressure drop in the pipeline at around 11.45pm and simultaneously observed (a) pungent odour around the storage terminal and near the material gate,” the statement said.

“They will identify the exact location and the extent of pipeline damage within a day and will rectify the same before commencing the ammonia transfer.”

Coromandel’s shares dropped by as much as 3.7 per cent on Dec 27, before closing 1.6 per cent lower.

In an exchange filing earlier in the day, the company said: “All are safe and normalcy is restored. We have informed relevant authorities about the incident.”

The incident comes weeks after an oil spill in the same area from a refinery belonging to Indian Oil-owned Chennai Petroleum Corp during Cyclone Michaung.

In another incident, one worker was killed and another was injured in an explosion at state-run refiner Indian Oil Corp’s plant in Chennai on Dec 27.

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