Gas leak kills 11 in India
A gas leak in India’s north has killed at least 11 people, including women and children.
On Sunday, April 30, the leak occurred in an industrial zone in Ludhiana in Punjab.
Rajinder Pal Kaur Chhina a member of Ludhiana’s legislative assembly said that at least nine other people were also taken to the hospital.
She said that a National Disaster Response Force team, along with experts from other fields, had been sent to the scene to investigate the source and cause of the leak.
Residents have been evacuated from the densely populated region.
Ms Chhina, a Reuters reporter, said that the incident occurred near a milk store and a doctors’ clinic. “We cannot be certain where the leak started but we can say it happened nearby,” she added.
“People who came to buy milk in the morning fell unconscious outside.”
Three of the bodies had “turned blue”, local resident Anjan Kumar said in an ANI news agency video on Twitter.
Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner, Surabhi Malik, told the Press Trust of India news agency it was possible the gas may have spread from manholes.
“We are going to collect samples from manholes. It is quite likely that some chemical reacted with methane in manholes,” she said.
The state’s chief minister, Bhagwant Mann, said the leak came from a factory, tweeting: “All possible help is being provided.”
