Six workers killed in chemical tanker leak
AHMEDABAD: Six workers of a textile dyeing and printing mill in Surat on Thursday died and 22 others were hospitalised after they inhaled toxic fumes leaking from a chemical tanker parked near the factory, officials said.
The workers were at the factory in Sachin industrial area when the incident occurred, Surat Municipal Corporation’s (SMC) in-charge chief fire officer Basant Pareek said. Two stray dogs also died in the incident.
Providing details, Pareek said the matter came to light when the fire department received a call at around 4.25 am. At least 25 to 26 workers fell unconscious after inhaling the toxic fumes coming out of the chemical tanker parked on a roadside near the factory and were rushed to the new civil hospital. The leakage was brought under control after the tanker’s valve was closed by the fire department, he said. “Six people have died, while 22 others are undergoing treatment,” Omkar Chaudhary, resident medical officer of Surat Civil Hospital, said.
In a statement later, the Surat civic body said “the chemical was being illegally discharged from the tanker when a toxic gas leaked from it and spread to nearby areas.”
Some people from the nearby areas were evacuated as a precautionary measure, the civic body said, the civic body said.
Chief minister Bhupendra Patel tweeted: “Many people have died due to gas leak in Surat. May God give peace to the departed souls and strength to the family members to bear this suffering. I pray for the health of those who have fallen ill in this incident.” “Proper investigation should be done to prevent such accidents in future,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted.