'The cause of gas leakage is not known yet'

At least 50 people fell ill and many of them fainted after they inhaled ammonia gas, which leaked from a cold storage plant in Haryana's Kurukshetra on late Tuesday night.

“Three people fell seriously ill, but are now out of danger. They have been admitted at the district hospital in Kurukshetra. In all 50 people were taken to local healthcare centres, most of them complained of irritation in their eyes, a few of them failed as well. Ten patients are still under observation while others have been discharged,” Dhirendra Khadgata, Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra, told, The Hindu on Wednesday.

“The ammonia gas leaked from the cold storage situated on Thol road in Shahbad and spread in the nearby areas, leaving people gasping. We reached the spot near Nalvi village in the night itself and evacuated the people and cattle as well,” said Mr. Khadgata.

Mr. Khadata said the enquiry into the incident has been initiated and necessary action will be taken in accordance with law. “The cause of gas leakage was not known yet, our teams are probing the incident,” he added.