AKIPRESS.COM - At least nine people have died and more than 300 have been taken to hospital after a gas leak in southern India.

Many of the injured complained of a burning sensation in the eyes and breathing difficulties following the incident in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

The leak has been traced to an LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam and it is feared the fumes have spread over a radius of about two miles.

According to local official Vinay Chand, the gas leak happened after a fire broke out as workers prepared to restart the plant following a relaxation in the COVID-19 lockdown rules.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from nearby areas, including 1,500 from one village, officials said.

Styrene, which is highly flammable and releases a poisonous gas when burnt, leaked from the plant during the early hours of the morning, when families in the surrounding villages were asleep, the commissioner of the Visakhapatnam city corporation said.