50 taken ill after inhaling toxic gas leaked from factory in Bangladesh

Dhaka, August 23

At least 50 people have been taken ill after inhaling toxic gas which leaked from a fertiliser factory in south-eastern port city of Chittagong, officials said on Tuesday.

“The gas is spreading from the DPA (diammonium phosphate) factory causing breathing problems to people within several kilometres in the neighbourhood. Firefighters are trying to stop the emission,” the officer-in-charge of the nearby police station said.

The people were admitted to the state-run Chittagong hospital on the banks of the Karnaphuli river on Monday night.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The TV reports quoting the factory officials said one of the gas tanks with 500-tonne capacity leaked at around 11.30 pm while the ammonia gas spread across to the other bank of the Karnaphuli.

“Our people are working to plug the leakage,” a factory official told a TV channel.

Experts said exposure to ammonia could cause slackening, vomiting and breathing problems.

“I have been informed that the fire service men nearly brought under control the situation,” Chittagong’s deputy commissioner Mesbahuddin Ahmed said. PTI