The day began on a grim note as a gas leak at an LG Polymer factory in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh resulted in the death of at least 11 people, and has so far reportedly affected over a thousand others. Twitter was flooded early morning with reactions followed by condolence messages by politicians and celebrities, especially some from AP.
President Ram Nath Kovind was one of the early leaders to express his feelings.
Saddened by the news of gas leak in a plant near Visakhapatnam which has claimed several lives. My condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the recovery of the injured and the safety of all.
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 7, 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have jumped to action.
Spoke to officials of MHA and NDMA regarding the situation in Visakhapatnam, which is being monitored closely.
I pray for everyone’s safety and well-being in Visakhapatnam.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 7, 2020
Home Minister Amit Shah assured us he was closely monitoring the situation.
The incident in Vizag is disturbing.
Have spoken to the NDMA officials and concerned authorities. We are continuously and closely monitoring the situation.
I pray for the well-being of the people of Visakhapatnam.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 7, 2020
Not one to be left behind, said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged Congress workers to get to work.
I’m shocked to hear about the
#VizagGasLeak . I urge our Congress workers & leaders in the area to provide all necessary support & assistance to those affected. My condolences to the families of those who have perished. I pray that those hospitalised make a speedy recovery.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 7, 2020
Telugu film stars Ram Charan and Venkatesh Daggubati were also amongst the mourners.
Heart breaking to see the visuals of #VizagGasLeak. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the people who are no more. I hope all necessary measures are taken to make sure the affected people recover at the earliest. My thoughts and prayers with the people of Vizag. ????
— Ram Charan (@AlwaysRamCharan) May 7, 2020
I am deeply saddened by the news about Vizag Gas Leak, especially during a time of the ongoing crisis. My condolences to those families who have lost lives and my sincere prayers for the speedy recovery of those affected. #StaySafeVizag
— Venkatesh Daggubati (@VenkyMama) May 7, 2020
Badminton champion and Hyderabad-based Saina Nehwal, BJP, prayed for the victims and their families.
Very painful disaster…leading to loss of human life due to Gas leakage in Vizag . Pray to almighty. God to give courage to the affected families . ? #VizagGasLeak
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) May 7, 2020
Foreign envoys were also with their condolences: here’s Israel’s ambassador to India Ron Malka offering help in the wake of this tragic incident.
On behalf of the people of Israel, I send our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased in the #VizagGasLeak. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of #Visakhapatnam and @AndhraPradeshCM in the wake of this tragedy.
— Ron Malka ?? (@DrRonMalka) May 7, 2020
Congressman Jaiveer Shergil, on the other hand, reminds us that history often repeats itself…
Aberfan disaster(1966) killing 116 Children,Bhopal Gas Tragedy (1984), Chernobyl Disaster(1986),Fukushima Disaster(2011) all happened due to human error & oversight-technology has progressed but liability laws still fail to act as a deterrent to prevent such cases #Vizag #gasleak
— Jaiveer Shergill (@JaiveerShergill) May 7, 2020
Lyricist Javed Akthar finds a historic parallel to the Shramik Special Trains for migrants being stopped in Karnataka.
An state on the behest of the builders lobby has canceled the trains that would have taken the poor migrant workers to their hometowns n native villages . Pharaoh is not letting Hebrew slave to get away . There are few pyramids to be made
— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) May 7, 2020
Onto some lighter news…French hacker and cyber security expert Elliot Alderson, who exposed privacy issues in Aarogya Setu app, throws out a challenge.
Someone tried to hack my twitter account.
Try again pic.twitter.com/9HfelqjUkH
— Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) May 6, 2020
Bangladesh writer Taslima Nasreen got scammed. If only she had smelled something fishy…
https://twitter.com/taslimanasreen/status/1258304269322719233?s=20
What if the Covid-19 pandemic was a girl? Celebrated author of the classic dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood has an idea.
It was inevitable… pic.twitter.com/KSsobgJFFE
— Margaret E. Atwood (@MargaretAtwood) May 6, 2020
On Rabindranath Tagore’s 159th birth anniversary, the Nobel Prize official Twitter handle pays tribute to the late Nobel laureate.
We're celebrating the birthday of a true great: Rabindranath Tagore, who was born #OnThisDay in 1861 in Calcutta, India.
The first non-European Literature Laureate, he was awarded the #NobelPrize "because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse…"#NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/AR1ZTpMsAN
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) May 7, 2020
And, journalist Mrinal Pande shared a vintage photo of her mother with Tagore.
#RabindranathTagore
Tagore with his young students at Shantiniketan, a rare, coeducational institution. My mum is in the back row with glasses, 1935. pic.twitter.com/rxxKG2Rrj2
— Mrinal Pande (@MrinalPande1) May 7, 2020