12 hospitalised after gas leak near Lalru

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Dera Bassi, July 3

Twelve persons were hospitalised after an old chlorine cylinder kept at a tubewell room of the Municipal Council leaked at Chandheri village, near Lalru, this afternoon. The victims complained of rashes, itching and burning sensation in eyes and were admitted to the Dera Bassi subdivisional hospital.

Dera Bassi SMO Dharminder Singh said, “All patients are stable and recovering well. Two patients, five-year-old Priya and a pregnant woman, Seema, wife of Ashok Kumar, were referred to the GMCH-32 as a precautionary measure. They, however, are also stable,” he said.

Tubewell operator Sandeep Kumar, Kamla (55), Jasin (7), Edwin (3), Mohit Kumar (24), Priya (5), Phulmati, (35), Ankit, Rubal Devi (32), Harpreet Singh (18), Seema, and Husanpreet Kaur were hospitalised.

Local residents said some cattle tied in a nearby enclosure, too, were affected. A fire engine from Dera Bassi reached the spot but the effect of the gas had subsided by then.

The tubewell operator told officials that the chlorine gas cylinder had been lying there for about seven-eight years. In the afternoon, gas started leaking in the cylinder lying in the sun and white fumes filled the area for some time. Children, women and elderly persons residing nearby started to feel suffocating. Some complained of chest pain. Six victims were rushed to the Lalru hospital where the doctors referred them to the Dera Bassi subdivisional hospital.

Lalru Municipal Council Executive Officer Gurbakshish Singh said the accident took place due to a leak in the chlorine gas cylinder in the colony.

Past incidents

• A similar incident had taken place near the tubewell room located close to the Ramleela ground in Dera Bassi on March 9, 2019, when 18 persons, including three children, were taken to the Civil Hospital
• On May 18, panic gripped Saidpura residents after they complained of difficulty in breathing, itching in eyes and foul smell following an explosion in two drums containing a chemical at a pharma unit at night