VISAKHAPATNAM: Two more people who were affected by the gas leak, died while undergoing treatment in Visakhapatnam today. The total death toll now stands at 12. Gas leaked from LG Polymers chemical plant at RR Venkatapuram village near Visakhapatnam in the early hours of Thursday and the toxic vapours spread to villages up to 5 km away.

More than 300 patients who inhaled the gas were being treated at King George Hospital and various other hospitals.Medical officials say that the patients’ health is now stable and they are out of danger and they are recovering.

The temperatures at the plant have substantially reduced at the LG Polymers plant with the use of a Styrene banker. NDRF teams from Pune and Nagpur were also working towards bring the gas leak under control.

On the other hand, a team of nine experts are in the process of curbing the gas leakage. The team of experts had arrived on Thursday night with a PTBC inhibitor, an antidote for styrene to neutralize the gas leak, and are trying to bring the situation under control.

Only when the gas levels are completely reduced will the local people be allowed to return to their homes, officials said.

State Ministers Kurasala Kannababu, Alla Nani, Botsa Satyanarayana and Avanti Srinivas are camping in Visakhapatnam and constantly coordinating with the authorities and district machinery.

State Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney along with the Ministers and officials conducted a review meeting in the Collectorate today. They are said to discuss the further measures to be taken including the rehabilitation efforts of the five villages in the vicinity of the plant.

The ministers are also expected to visit victims in KGH and various private hospitals. They are also likely to visit the villages to reassure the people of the affected villages surrounding the LG Polymers factory.

After the gas leak spread local police advised people to move to safe places as a precautionary measure on Thursday. Authorities evacuated people from five villages near the LG Polymers plant. They were taken to rehabilitation centres set up in Simhachalam in special buses.

Several private wedding halls in the vicinity of the Simhachalam hill were converted into rehabilitation centres for the villagers.

As per reports, officials evacuated about 8,000 people from 1250 houses in Venkatapuram, 2,250 people from 600 families in Nandamuri Nagar, 1200 people from 250 houses in Kamparapalem, 2,500 people from 500 families in Padmanabhanagar, and 2,000 people from 480 houses in SC and BC colony. They were all provided with meals and their health was also being monitored. Officials say people will be allowed to go to their villages once they get information that situation was completely out of danger in the plant's vicinity.

Pendurthi MLA Annamreddy Adeepraj visited the rehabilitation centres and Chinagadili Tahsildar went to the centres and supervised operations.

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