Ammonia gas leak triggers panic in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: Ammonia gas leak at a defunct chips manufacturing unit in Chenniveerampalayam village near Karamadai here triggered a panic leading authorities to evacuate about 250 families from the locality as a precaution, said police on Tuesday.

The leakage from a cold storage unit for potatoes in the export factory closed four years ago caused ammonia to dissipate into the air around midnight of April 29 leading to some villagers complaining of eye irrigation.

“Immediately, the police evacuated the families to a safe place and lodged them temporarily in a marriage hall as a precaution,” a senior police official said.

The unit exporting chips and french fries was sold recently and the gas leak could have occurred during renovation, he added.

Police and fire service personnel who rushed to the unit shut the valve of a tank and contained further damage.