60% of ammonia gas has been cleaned from a seafood factory in Tiruvallur

Tiruvallur Collector S. Kavitha oversees the operation at St. Peter & Paul, where a gas leak on June 21 killed several workers.

In an operation that began at 9 am on Saturday, the Tiruvallur district administration along with a 15-member team of experts evacuated about 60% of the ammonia from the three storage tanks of St. Paul and Peter, a seafood processing unit where a gas leak on June 21 led to the deaths of several workers.

District Collector S. Kavitha, who supervised the operations, said the tanks contained about 1.5 tonnes to 2 tonnes of gaseous ammonia under pressure. It was loaded into bullets on tankers that are used to transport the gas safely. Ammonia is sent back to the production company and can be used elsewhere.

The collector further said that work to remove the remaining gas will start again on Sunday morning after the compressor runs overnight to extract it from the pipes and equipment inside the unit and move it to the storage tanks. The team prefers to work during the day because it was safer and people would be more alert.

“The same safety protocols will remain in force and medical teams with ambulances and fire brigade, police and NDRF personnel will be ready. No traffic will be allowed on the state highway even on Sunday,” she said.

The evacuation was carried out by a team of experts, including those from industries with knowledge of dealing with ammonia. A 300-meter-wide area was cordoned off with industries ordered to shut down and people in nearby homes told to stay indoors.

Meanwhile, Ms. Kavitha also said that as a precautionary measure, a list of eight ammonia-using industries has been drawn up and a team of experts will visit them to ensure that safety protocols are in place. “One of the points they will be looking at is where the workers are staying/resting,” she added.

Published – 05 Jul 2026 0:23 IST