South Korean national drops plan to leave country

A South Korean national who had come as a technical expert to probe into the styrene vapour leak from LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam, dropped his plan to leave the country in the last minute, on Wednesday.

It was learnt that a chartered flight had come to Visakhapatnam airport to pick him up, but it returned after he dropped his plan to go back.

Refuting media reports that he and a few other South Korean nationals were detained at the airport when they tried to leave the country, Commissioner of Police Rajeev Kumar Meena said that the technical expert had planned to leave but dropped the idea in the last minute, as he intended to go back with his other compatriots, who are scheduled to leave on June 2.

According to him, about 7 to 8 South Koreans, including a few from the management and some technical experts had flown to the city after the styrene monomer vapour leaked on May 7.

“We have seized the passports of the management team and they are with us. But we have not taken the passports of the technical team, as they have come to assist us in our probe. One person from the technical team wanted to leave on Wednesday, but dropped his plans in the last minute and they are all housed in a star hotel in the city,” he said.

It may be recollected that on May 7, styrene monomer vapour had leaked out of a storage tank, which resulted in the death of 12 persons from the surrounding villages and colonies and hospitalising over 350.

Subsequent to the incident, a South Korean team from its holding company LG Chem had flown in with a technical expert team.

About 7 high level committees including those formed by NGT and NEERI and State Government are probing the incident and NGT that had taken up the probe suo moto had asked LG Polymers to deposit ₹50 crores with a court in Vizag.

The AP High Court had sealed the plant a couple of days ago, restricting the entry of people, except for the probe team. But the Supreme Court on Tuesday had given consent to allow 30 personnel based on a plea of the company, as the men are required to maintain the toxic polymers present inside the plant. But the list has to be approved by the district collector.