At least 8 people have lost their lives following a chemical gas leak at the LG Polymers industrial plant in RR Venkatapuram village in Visakhapatnam in India early this morning.

A government official said that some 1,000 people from villages in the area were evacuated for medical treatment following the leak.

Hundreds of cattle have also died.

The gas leak has affected a radius of at least 2 km from the site of the incident, according to The Times of India, which also noted that locals complained of breathlessness of vomiting and some fell unconscious.

Local news agencies reported that the situation is now "under control," according to BBC.