Utter chaos prevailed at the government-run King George Hospital (KGH) where about 160 people affected by the gas leakage from a chemical plant were brought in early on Thursday.
Already under stress due to Covid-19 situation, the doctors and other medical staff at the hospital have been making frantic efforts to provide medical aid to the gas leak victims.
Three of the 160 succumbed while undergoing treatment.
KGH officials said they were mobilizing all the human resources and equipment to deal with the situation. They claimed that they have sufficient number of ventilators to tackle the emergency.
At least 10 persons were put on ventilators while some others were being supported with oxygen.
About 70 people were shifted to various private hospitals in the city.
Families separated from each other in the utter confusion that prevailed after the gas leakage have frantically searching for their loved ones. People ran helter skelter after the leakage of Styrene from LG Polymers India plant in RR Venkatapuram near Gopalpatnam.
Municipal Commissioner Srijana Gummalla said the gas leaked from the plant around 2.30 a.m. Hundreds of people who inhaled the gas either fell unconscious or felt breathing problems, she said.
Shocking scenes were witnessed with people including women and children lying unconscious on the roads. People were seen rushing the victims to ambulances and private vehicles.
Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) officials threw water through mist blowers to subside the effect of the gas leak at Gopalapatnam area.
( With inputs from IANS )