Two workers lost their lives and seven were hospitalised after they inhaled toxic gases at a textile factory in Ahmedabad, the capital city of Gujarat, on Sunday, police said. The incident took place at Devi Synthetics in the Narol industrial area of the city.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ravi Mohan Saini said that total nine workers inhaled toxic fumes that leaked while acid was being transferred into a tank at the factory. "Police received information around 10.30 am that nine persons were affected due to a toxic gas leak in a factory in Narol and were taken to LG Hospital, where two died," he said, news agency PTI reported.
In out of nine workers, 7 are hospitalised. Out of them four are in critical conditions and being treated in the ICU, he also said. An intial investigation disclosed that spent acid, used in the printing and dyeing industry, was being transferred into a tank. During the process, the workers nearby were affected, he added.
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Multiple Govt Bodies Investigating Cause
The official reported that along with police, officials from multiple government bodies like Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), industrial safety and Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) reached the site and launched the investigation to discover the root cause of the incident.
DCP further added that the Industrial safety and FSL officials are also probing that either due procedures was followed regarding NOC by the industry. Based on their report, police will intitate their actions.
An official of Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) told India Express that they received a call around 10.45am regarding the incident. “After reaching the spot, our team isolated (barricaded) the storage of sulphuric acid, caustic soda and bleaching material. We also carried out a search and rescue operation at the factory and shifted labourers to hospital,” said an official.