Over 50 Women In Apparel Factory Taken Ill After Mysterious Gas Leak

At least 50 women were hospitalized Tuesday following a mysterious gas leakage at a garment manufacturing unit in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in India.

The incident occurred two months after a similar gas leak led to more than 200 women being hospitalized in the same area.

The women, who were the employees at the apparel factory, Seeds Apparel India, located in Brandix Economic Zone in Anakapalli district in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, initially started experiencing breathlessness and nausea. Some complained of vomiting, while others said they fainted, media outlet ABP Live reported.

The women with symptoms were rushed to a hospital in ambulances, while others were rendered medical assistance on the factory premises, according to Mid-Day. Authorities evacuated the place after the affected persons were rushed to the hospital.

Seeds Apparel India has only women employees, some of whom were pregnant at the time of the gas leak, according to ABP Live.

"The gas leak reportedly took place at the premises of Brandix. 50 people have been shifted to hospitals, and evacuation is underway at the premises," Anakapalli Superintendent of Police told Republic World.

Visuals from the site showed men helping some unconscious women to ambulances and cars.

While it remains unclear what caused the mass sickness, the police are awaiting Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) to assess the situation. Meanwhile, the site has been sealed off, and no one was allowed to enter the premises until the APPCB probe was initiated.

The recent incident triggered panic among the workers of the SEZ area.

The similar gas leak episode occurred on June 3, when more than 200 women fell sick at the Brandix premises after complaining of eyesores, nausea, and vomiting. A team of experts from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in the city of Hyderabad carried out tests and found a suspected toxic ammonia gas had leaked from a nearby Porus Laboratories unit, which may have caused the incident. The state's pollution control board had ordered the closure of the lab back then, but it soon resumed activities.