In the wake of the leakage of toxic gases from a pesticide plant in Srikakulam district which forced people in 18 surrounding villages to flee their homes, government agencies may have been exposed

Dimensions of damage caused by fire breakout on June 30 in a chemical reactor at Nagarjuna Agrichem Limited at Srikakulam are far more than a mere figure of 16 injured, of which 13 are undergoing treatment at Vizianagaram and three at Visakhapatnam. What is being attempted to put under wraps is the exposure of those injured, rescue workers, other scores of workers in unit (200 as per the sources) and those in the vicinity including surrounding villages who all inhaled these volatile Organophosphate compounds arising out of the gutting of pesticides in the unit.

Ten workers of an agrochemical company were injured in a fire following an explosion at the plant in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district Saturday morning, police said.