At least 11 people were killed after a suspected gas leak at an LG Polymers plant in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam, south India on Thursday, Director General of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) S.N. Pradhan confirmed.

The gas leaked out of two 5,000-tonne tanks that had been left unattended due to India's coronavirus lockdown, in place since late March, AFP reported citing a police officer.

The leak was noted in a three square kilometer area.

South Korean battery maker LG Chemical Ltd, the owner of the facility around 14 kilometers away from Visakhapatnam city, said the gas leak had been brought under control. 

"We are looking into the exact damages, cause of the death and details of the incident," the company said in a statement.

"Hundreds of people have inhaled it and either fell unconscious or are having breathing issues," Srijana Gummalla, commissioner of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation said on Twitter.

More than 120 villagers were taken to hospital and at least three surrounding villages were being evacuated, a local official said.

According to the director of Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Randeep Guleria, the gas compound "Styrene" that got leaked affected humans' respiratory system, but the effect would gradually go away with the passage of time.

(With input from agencies)