<Anchor>

Eight residents were killed and hundreds were hospitalized due to a gas leak at a LG Chemical-related plant in southern India. In the nearby village, even the evacuation order was passed down.

This is reporter Kim Ji-sung.

<Reporter> The

accident occurred at the LG Polymers India plant in Andhra Pradesh, southern India.

The Associated Press reported that eight people have died since neighboring residents were exposed to toxic gases.

Among the dead, eight-year-old girls were also reported.

More than 1,000 residents had symptoms such as shortness of breath and nausea, and hundreds were reported to have been hospitalized.

Locally, the sights of residents who fell unconscious and fell on the road were witnessed.

Indian police say gas leaks from two 5,000-ton tanks at the LG Polymers plant.

In India, containment measures have been put in place across the country to prevent the spread of Corona19, so it was reported that the factory had little manpower at the time of the accident.

An industry official said, "I know that there was no damage to Koreans since I was working at the minimum number of people at the time of the accident."

LG Polymers estimates that the chemicals in the tank have been vaporized and leaked.

Evacuation orders have been issued to villagers near the factory.

Indian authorities are sending police to the scene to investigate the accident.

The plant changed its name to LG Polymers in 1997 after LG Chem took over the local plant, local media reported.