Top Officials among 34 Hospitalised After Gas Leak in Uttarakhand

• Image Credit: Internet

• Aug 30, 2022 | Sourav Boruah

Digital Desk: A chlorine gas leak from a cylinder at a scrap
godown in a busy residential area of Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar district
led to the hospitalisation of more than 30 individuals on Tuesday, including an
SDM and a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

According to the police, the SDM and DSP went to the scene to
start rescue operations, and so far 34 people have been taken to hospitals
after complaining of eye burning, nausea, and breathing difficulties.

Some of the sufferers, according to them, had even started to
dizzy.

Early in the morning, the tragedy happened in Rudrapur's
bustling Azad Nagar Transit Camp neighbourhood. As the deadly gas started to
flow, people started to pass out and scurry around in fear, according to
officials.

Rescue efforts were started immediately as senior administrative
and police authorities hurried to the scene with fire tenders, ambulances, and
an SDRF team.

According to the officials, oxygen was supplied to the injured
patients inside the ambulance.

According to SDM Kaustubh Mishra and DSP Ashish Bhardwaj, other
firefighters too started feeling queasy and started vomiting as they attempted
to take the leaky cylinder away. In order to stop the issue from getting worse,
the leaky cylinder was eventually tossed into a field and destroyed, according
to the police.

Nine of the 34 patients that were hospitalised, including the
SDM and the DSP, were admitted to an ICU.

Later, SSP Manjunath TC and District Magistrate Yugal Kishore
Pant went to the hospital to inquire about the well-being of the patients.

All of them, according to the SSP, are now no longer in danger
and will soon be released from the hospital. The district magistrate stated
that it is still unknown how the chlorine gas cylinder got to the scrap
dealer's godown in a crowded area and what caused the gas leak. According to
Pant, a campaign will soon be launched to make sure that prohibited gas
cylinders don't enter residential areas.

Additionally, the DM commanded that a complaint be filed
against the scrap dealer and that the rats that perished in his godown as a
result of the gas leak be transferred to the Indian Veterinary Research
Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, for testing.