At least eight people fell ill after the carbon monoxide gas leaked from the state-owned SAIL’s Rourkela steel plant in Odisha on Monday. According to officials, the incident took place while maintenance work was underway in a blast furnace.
The workers who fell ill were rushed to the nearby Ispat General Hospital (IGH) for treatment. According to news agency PTI, among them are an executive, a senior supervisor, another RSP employee, and some outsourced staff.
“I met all of them, and they are doing fine,” the steel plant’s director in charge, Atanu Bhowmick, told PTI.
Meanwhile, officials have formed a committee to investigate the incident.
In another incident last month, three people, including a minor girl, died of asphyxiation while two others underwent treatment, reportedly after inhaling poisonous gas, which leaked into their toilets in their homes in Puducherry’s Reddiarpalayam. According to the police, the incident came to light when one of the victims fainted after entering her toilet. Her daughter, who went in to check on her, also collapsed. Shortly afterwards, their neighbour also faced a similar incident when she entered her toilet and fainted.
Officials said that hazardous gas was suspected to have leaked into the bathroom due to a gap between the drainage lines.
According to residents, no action was taken when they complained about the discharge of untreated water and sludge from the sewage treatment plant at Kanagan Eri. “We have been complaining to authorities that we are at the risk of toxic gas being released here because of the plant, but they did not pay heed to us, and because of that, three lives have been lost,” a resident said.
(With inputs from PTI)