Gas leak at Baddi unit, 1 dead

Solan, April 16

A migrant worker was killed and several were taken ill after a blast in a chemical tank at an adhesive unit led to release of noxious fumes at Dharampur village in the Baddi industrial area today.

A girl and four women, were taken ill and six of them were shifted to the PGI, Chandigarh. They were discharged after treatment. The factory was shut due to the lockdown.

Sources said the blast occurred in one of the three 200-kilolitre tanks containing vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) inside the Pidilite Industries plant. The build-up of noxious gases inside the near-empty tank led to the blast, explained Baddi SP Rohit Malpani. A probe was on to ascertain the gas released after the blast.

Most of the victims, all slum-dwellers, were asleep at the time of the blast. They felt difficulty in breathing as they ran to save their lives. Those living right next to the plant were affected the most. Three head of cattle were killed after inhaling the noxious fumes.

A case under Sections 336 (endangering human life) and 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC had been registered against the factory management, said the SP. More than 75 slum-dwellers were evacuated to Government Senior Secondary School, Thana, and the slum detoxified by firemen with water.

The deceased, Siraj Khan, belonged to Uttar Pradesh and was the sole breadwinner of the family, comprising a widowed mother, three sisters and three brothers.

His mother said the company security staff failed to alert the slum-dwellers by sounding the siren. The slum-dwellers had been staying there for the past 10 years and most were employed at the unit. — TNS