The Bhopal gas tragedy of 25 years ago still haunts the country. It was a nightmare, thus, when a part of south Mumbai woke up to the news that toxic Chlorine gas had leaked from a cylinder kept at the Mumbai Port Trust at 3.15 in the morning. The leak was contained six hours later, at 9 am.
The gas caused acute respiratory distress. Ninety-two people were affected, 78 are still in hospital, eight of them are critically ill in intensive care. Among those in hospital are 14 students of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Maritime College. The victims have been admitted to the JJ Hospital and KEM Hospital.
This area in south Mumbai is sparsely populated, so there were fewer victims than if it had happened in any other part of the Metro.
The gas began leaking at about 3.15 am, but was detected close to 4 in the morning. The fire brigade was called in and fire-fighters sanitised the area. Some of the firemen were affected too.
"Following the complaint, our men rushed to the spot to plug the leakage. However, four of our men also took ill and have been rushed to nearby hospitals," Uday Tatkare, the Chief Fire Officer, said.
As a precautionary measure, people residing in and around the area have been evacuated. To ensure that the leak did not spread to other areas, the firemen made a "water curtain" and pushed it towards the sea.
So what did happen at 3.15 am as Mumbai slept?
Rahul Asthana, Deputy Chairman of the Mumbai Port Trust explained, "This cylinder containing chloride had to be auctioned off for a long time. An empty cylinder of chlorine...but sometimes you have residual chlorine that remains in the cylinder and that is what leaked out. It didn't leak from the valve but from the bottom of the cylinder as a result of which the chlorine leaked into the atmosphere.'
Asthana said the situation was under control: "We procured Sodium Hydroxide as a neutralising agent so there is no danger now."
Giving an overview of the incident, Maharashtra Health Minister Vijay Kumar Gavit said, "In some cylinders kept in the Sewree dock there was some leakage last night. 92 people have been affected in all, 78 are in a general ward, eight are in ICCU and the rest have been discharged. They are suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome." He said all the maritime institute students affected would be discharged by the evening.
The gas caused acute respiratory distress. Ninety-two people were affected, 78 are still in hospital, eight of them are critically ill in intensive care. Among those in hospital are 14 students of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Maritime College. The victims have been admitted to the JJ Hospital and KEM Hospital.
This area in south Mumbai is sparsely populated, so there were fewer victims than if it had happened in any other part of the Metro.
The gas began leaking at about 3.15 am, but was detected close to 4 in the morning. The fire brigade was called in and fire-fighters sanitised the area. Some of the firemen were affected too.
"Following the complaint, our men rushed to the spot to plug the leakage. However, four of our men also took ill and have been rushed to nearby hospitals," Uday Tatkare, the Chief Fire Officer, said.
As a precautionary measure, people residing in and around the area have been evacuated. To ensure that the leak did not spread to other areas, the firemen made a "water curtain" and pushed it towards the sea.
So what did happen at 3.15 am as Mumbai slept?
Rahul Asthana, Deputy Chairman of the Mumbai Port Trust explained, "This cylinder containing chloride had to be auctioned off for a long time. An empty cylinder of chlorine...but sometimes you have residual chlorine that remains in the cylinder and that is what leaked out. It didn't leak from the valve but from the bottom of the cylinder as a result of which the chlorine leaked into the atmosphere.'
Asthana said the situation was under control: "We procured Sodium Hydroxide as a neutralising agent so there is no danger now."
Giving an overview of the incident, Maharashtra Health Minister Vijay Kumar Gavit said, "In some cylinders kept in the Sewree dock there was some leakage last night. 92 people have been affected in all, 78 are in a general ward, eight are in ICCU and the rest have been discharged. They are suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome." He said all the maritime institute students affected would be discharged by the evening.
- Chlorine gas is a respiratory irritant. It causes eye irritation as well as nausea, vomiting, dizziness and headache.
- If exposed a long period of time and in strong concentration, it may lead to excess salivation, loss of consciousness and possibly death.
- In case of chlorine exposure prompt action is essential
Source http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/chlorine-gas-leak-in-south-mumbai-78-people-hospitalised-37349
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