Ludhiana Gas Leak: A bad smell engulfed the area, survivors recount horror

Traumatised Giaspura gas leak incident survivors in Ludhiana recalled the horrific incident of witnessing death of eleven people, including three children.

Traumatised Giaspura gas leak incident survivors in Ludhiana recalled the horrific incident of witnessing death of eleven people, including three children, allegedly after inhaling a toxic gas.

Locals residents near the gas leak site in Ludhiana on Sunday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

A factory worker, Laddu Tiwari, was one of the first persons to reach the spot in Giaspura on Sunday morning. He said instead of waiting for an ambulance, he rushed the victims to a hospital in an auto-rickshaw.

Tiwari said he lives in a rented accommodation in nearby Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, owned by one of the victims of the gas tragedy Navneet Kumar. Around 7.30 am, he came to know that some mishap had taken place near the house of his landlord. He went to their home to see if they were safe.

“I saw Navneet Kumar and his wife Neetu lying unconscious on a road near their house. The smell of the gas had engulfed the whole area and we were struggling to breathe,” said Tiwari.

“We could not find any vehicle to take them to the hospital so, I convinced an auto-rickshaw driver to help us. Meanwhile, Navneet’s brother also lost fell unconsciousness and we sent him too to the hospital,” he added.

He said Navneet’s panicky daughter was in her room on the second floor of the house and he asked the girl to lock all doors and windows from inside and stay in her room.

“Though I had covered my face with a piece of cloth, I could feel the affect of the gas on me. I ran away from the spot, inhaled some fresh air and came back to see if Navneet’s daughter was fine. Later, she was also taken to the hospital and is currently under observation,” said Tiwari. He said the girl does not know that her parents have died in the incident.

Hailing from Bihar, Tiwari has been living in Ludhiana for the past 24 years. He is a factory worker.

Another eyewitness, Nand Kishore Sav, who lives in the same area, said as soon he came to know about the incident, he immediately went to rescue the family members of Dr Kavilash, who runs a clinic there.

“People were lying unconscious on the road. While I was trying to take out the bodies of the victims, I too lost consciousness and fell on the street. I suffered a head injury. After I regained my senses, I found myself in the hospital,” said Kishore.

“It was a tragic incident. When I was losing my consciousness, I felt like I was dying. I saw people dying in front of my eyes and I cannot forget this incident in my whole life,” he said.

The doctors treating the two survivors admitted at the civil hospital shared that because of the toxic gas, the patients were in a state of hallucination, and speaking unconsciously. The doctors added the impact of the toxin has left them in an irritated state.