At least 3 killed in toxic gas leak at factory in India’s Punjab

At least 3 people were killed and several others fell ill on Monday after a toxic gas leak inside a hand tool manufacturing factory in the northern Indian state of Punjab, police said.

The incident occurred in an industrial area of Ludhiana, located about 105 km west of Chandigarh, the state capital, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua. 

A senior police official said, “We are being told that a tank cleaning work was underway in a factory at Industrial Area A in Ludhiana when toxic gas suddenly started leaking. Within minutes, the gas spread throughout the premises. The gas concentration was so intense that workers inside had no time to escape.”

He added, “Some collapsed on the spot due to suffocation and severe eye irritation. Workers present inside the factory said they started experiencing breathing difficulties,” noting that “Unfortunately, three people — the factory owner, his son and a worker — were killed, and two others are still undergoing treatment at the hospital.”

Following the incident, police, fire brigade teams, disaster management personnel, and health department officials rushed to the site and carried out rescue operations.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the gas leak. Police have registered a case and ordered a formal probe into the incident.

The leak caused panic in the surrounding area.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev