LG Chem Shin Hak-cheol Forms 'Emergency Response Team'... Full Effort to Manage India Plant Accident

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] LG Chem has formed an emergency response committee chaired by Vice Chairman Shin Hak-cheol to manage the gas leak accident at its plant in India and is making all-out efforts to respond. Initially, there was a plan for Vice Chairman Shin to go to the site in India to directly handle the accident, but due to the foreign entry ban imposed in India amid the COVID-19 situation, it was inevitably decided that the accident management and follow-up measures would be directed domestically.

According to related industries on the 8th, Vice Chairman Shin convened the emergency response committee the day before to manage the accident at the LG Polymers India (LG Chem India subsidiary) plant in Visakhapatnam, southern India, and ordered that all necessary measures be taken to assess the damage to residents and protect employees. At the LG Polymers India plant, a styrene gas leak occurred in the early morning of the 7th, resulting in 11 residents' deaths and about 1,000 hospitalizations. Residents within a 3 km radius of the plant reported symptoms such as burning eyes, difficulty breathing, and vomiting. The gas leak at the plant is currently under control.

The company stated that the leaked gas can cause vomiting and dizziness if inhaled, so all measures are being taken to ensure that necessary treatment is promptly provided. Meanwhile, although some foreign media reported a second leak, this was confirmed to be untrue. LG Chem requested an evacuation order from local Indian authorities and evacuated residents within a 5 km radius to safely manage the accident. An LG Chem official said, "There was no second leak, and the evacuation request to the police was made as a precaution. Currently, measures such as injecting water into the tank are underway."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.