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Deadly chlorine gas leak in Mumbai leaves 117 seriously sick
Deadly chlorine gas leaking from a cylinder stored in the premises of the Mumbai Port Trust left 117 people seriously ill on Wednesday. There were, however, no casualties. HT Correspondent reports. See graphics
Deadly chlorine gas leaking from a cylinder stored in the premises of the Mumbai Port Trust left 117 people seriously ill on Wednesday. There were, however, no casualties.
Those affected included workers who had stayed overnight at the port premises and students at a neighbouring maritime institute.
Fire Brigade sources said the incident took place around 2.45 am as chlorine leaked from one of about 140 cylinders stored at the port trust. People rushed to hospital complaining of breathlessness, vomiting, burning and watering of eyes.
“I could hardly breathe when I woke up at 3 am. We ran out of the boat, where we live. The police brought us to the hospital,” said Tonoi Mondol, 23, a dockworker.
Police registered a case of negligence against unidentified persons of the port trust. Chairman Rahul Asthana said the leak had been identified and plugged. The cylinders had been lying there since 2001.
