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Chlorine leak from cylinder lands 12 in hospital in Lalru
While a 12-year-old boy, and a 32-year-old pregnant woman and her husband were rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32, Chandigarh, others were treated at the Dera Bassi civil hospital
As many as 12 people, including five children and three women, were hospitalised after a chlorine leak at Lalru’s Chaundheri village on Monday.
The incident took place in the afternoon after a tubewell operator pulled out a cylinder filled with chlorine.
According to the Dera Bassi ASP Darpan Ahluwalia, the cylinder was leaking. “As soon as it was placed in the open, the leaking gas spread in the densely populated area, causing shortness of breath and eye irritation among several villagers, 12 of whom had to be hospitalised.”
Lalru Nagar Council junior engineer Gagandeep Singh made arrangements to rush them to the hospital. Several animals also fell ill after inhaling the gas.
On receiving information, fire fighters from the Dera Bassi fire station rushed to the scene and controlled the leak. Dera Bassi station fire officer Baljeet Singh said they received information about the gas leak around 2.20 pm.
The ASP said as the cylinder was quite old, the potency of the gas had reduced, causing less damage.
While a 12-year-old boy, and a 32-year-old pregnant woman and her husband were rushed to Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32, Chandigarh, others were treated at the Dera Bassi civil hospital.
Some of them were identified as Harpreet Singh, Rubal Devi, Mohit, Jassi, Sandeep, Seema Karketa, Chand Heri, Suman, Nargis, Jansita Mondo, 7, Priya, 5, and Idveen, 3.
Dera Bassi senior medical officer (SMO) Dharminder Singh said the admitted patients were primarily suffering from shortness of breath. “They were offered high-flow oxygen. Their condition is stable, but they will continue to remain under observation.”
Dera Bassi SDM Himanshu Gupta said, “The chlorine gas leaked from an old cylinder kept in store for chlorination of water tanks by Lalru MC. All patients are stable.”
Those admitted at the Dera Bassi civil hospital said repair work of the damaged motor installed in the tubewell was being carried out. “Amid this, a nearly 10-year-old cylinder, containing chlorine gas, was taken out by the contractor, not realising that it was leaking,” said one of the patients.
Not a first
May 19 Hundreds of residents at Saidpura village and GBP Housing Society in Dera Bassi had a sleepless night after accidental leak of xylene residue at a pharmaceutical company’s factory led to eye irritation and teary eyes
April 22 Four men, including a Nepalese national, died of asphyxia while cleaning a septic tank at a meat processing plant in Dera Bassi’s Behra village
April 22 A man died while cleaning a sewer line at Dera Bassi’s Johal Kalan village on the sarpanch’s directions.
