Surat Gas Leak: 6 Factory Workers Die, 22 In Hospital After Inhaling Toxic Fumes

Surat Municipal’s chief fire officer Basant Pareek said that the workers worked in a dyeing factory located in Sachin Industrial Area, when the incident took place. 

Visual from the hospital | Photo: ANI

New Delhi: Around six factory workers lost their lives and 22 others have been rushed to hospital after they inhaled toxic fumes leaking from a chemical tanker parked near a factory in Gujarat’s Surat district.

"Six people have died, while 22 others are hospitalised and undergoing treatment," said the hospital’s resident medical officer Omkar Chaudhary. 

Meanwhile, Surat Municipal’s chief fire officer Basant Pareek said that the workers worked in a dyeing factory located in Sachin Industrial Area when the incident took place. 

Pareek further said that the fire department received a call at around 4:25 am today and added that around 26 workers were unconscious after they inhaled toxic fumes emitting from the chemical tanker stationed near the factory on a roadside after which they were rushed to the new civil hospital. 

Afterward, the fire department managed to close the valves of the tanker to stop the leakage.

In its release, the Surat Municipal Corporation said, “The chemical was being illegally discharged from the tanker when a toxic gas leaked from it and spread to nearby areas, due to which 26 workers present in the dyeing and printing mill and surrounding areas fell unconscious following which they were rushed to the hospital.”

The release also stated that two stray dogs also died due to the gas leakage. 

The civic body said that as a precautionary measure, some people from the nearby areas were evacuated. 

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed his grief over the incident and 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."