Authorities in Tamil Nadu will continue the operation to safely eliminate residual ammonia from the St. Peter and Paul Pvt. Ltd. seafood processing unit in Tiruvallur district. This action comes after a toxic gas leak at the facility resulted in 18 fatalities and multiple workers being hospitalized. District Collector S. Kavitha confirmed that the operation will persist until all traces of ammonia are completely cleared from the plant. Stringent safety measures, including the presence of medical teams, ambulances, police personnel, and Fire and Rescue Services, will be maintained throughout the process.
The ammonia removal process commenced on Saturday and extended into Sunday, overseen by a team of industrial safety experts. Approximately 15 specialists, including personnel experienced in handling ammonia, conducted the operation between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. While a significant amount of liquefied ammonia had been transferred to a specialized vehicle, a small quantity remained in the plant’s pipelines, valves, and connected equipment. This remaining ammonia has been safely condensed and transferred to storage tanks.
Officials emphasized the need for extreme caution during the process to prevent any accidental release of the hazardous gas. As per industrial safety protocols, these operations are conducted during daylight hours to facilitate faster dispersion of ammonia and enable prompt emergency responses. Collector Kavitha inspected the site for the second consecutive day on Sunday, overseeing the progress of the operation. Various agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), and Fire and Rescue Services, are actively involved in ensuring public safety during the evacuation process.
Once the entire quantity of ammonia is removed from the seafood processing unit, the facility will be temporarily sealed. This evacuation effort follows the ammonia leak incident on June 21, attributed to industrial safety oversights, which claimed 18 lives and prompted a reevaluation of safety practices in chemical-handling industries across Tamil Nadu.
