Tamil Nadu Gas Leak Probe: Illegal Hiring Of Minors, Forged IDs Exposed As Death Toll Reaches 17

Last Updated:July 01, 2026, 22:55 IST

All those who died were women. Fourteen of the victims were from Odisha, while two were from Assam and one was from Jharkhand.

The death toll from the ammonia gas leak at a private seafood processing and export facility in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district has risen to 17, the state government said on Wednesday.

According to the Health Department, all those who died were women. Fourteen of the victims were from Odisha, while two were from Assam and one was from Jharkhand.

The toxic ammonia leak occurred on June 21 during routine industrial operations at the seafood processing unit located in the Kannigaipair-Manjungaranai area near Periyapalayam. Following the incident, several workers complained of breathlessness, irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract, coughing and chest discomfort.

A total of 83 people were affected by the leak. Of them, 15 women continue to receive treatment and remain under medical observation. The government said the mortal remains of the deceased have been airlifted to their respective home states.

Probe Flags Illegal Recruitment Of Minors

As the investigation progresses, an Indian Express report, citing a First Information Report (FIR), said authorities are probing an alleged illegal recruitment racket involving minors who were employed at the seafood unit using forged identities.

The FIR, filed on the complaint of the assistant labour officer of Telkoi in Odisha, names Srikanta Juanga of Keonjhar district as a middleman who allegedly recruited tribal workers from a particularly vulnerable tribal group and sent them to work at the Tiruvallur facility.

According to the complaint, a preliminary inquiry found that 11 of the 24 recruited workers were minors. It also stated that five of the victims in the gas leak were underage.

Investigators have alleged that the minors were employed by fraudulently using the Aadhaar details of adult women to conceal their true identities and ages. The complaint claims the middleman, in connivance with the management or recruiting organisation, facilitated the illegal employment of minors in a hazardous industrial unit.

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