Amaravati (AP): Days after its leaked vapour killed 12 people, about 13,000 tonnes of styrene from the LG Polymers plant, at RR Venkatapuram near Visakhapatnam, is being shipped back to the company's headquarters in South Korea's Seoul.
Besides, the company had stored styrene, imported from Singapore, in two tanks at the Visakhapatnam Port.
The Andhra government authorities took up the issue with the Ministry of Shipping and arranged a special container to send the chemical back to Seoul.
"We are shipping about 8,000 tonnes of styrene by a container vessel on Monday and another will carry the remaining 5,000 in the next couple of days," Visakhapatnam district Collector V Vinay Chand said.
The leftover styrene in the tank inside the plant, from where the vapour leak occurred, had solidified and the temperature came down to 73 degrees Celsius.
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There had been a vociferous demand from people of Venkatapuram and surrounding villages that the plant be completely shut down as it posed a threat to their lives.
The vapour leak from the plastics manufacturing plant in the wee hours of May 7 caused the death of 12 people besides leaving over 400 hospitalised.
On Saturday, irate villagers staged a protest in front of the plant, with bodies of the deceased, demanding that it be closed down forthwith.
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Meanwhile, the situation at RR Venkatapuram and surrounding villages was fully under control and villagers would be allowed to return from Monday evening.