At least 11 persons, including two children, were killed and many others are feared trapped inside a factory on Sua Road near at Giaspura in Punjab's Ludhiana, India after a gas leak on Sunday. The gas leak was first noticed around 7.15am.
“A team of doctors and ambulances have also been called,” news agency ANI quoted a superintendent of police as saying.
Top updates on the Ludhiana gas leak:
NDRF teams have been pressed into rescue operations. The police sealed the area and vacated the near market.
According to the initial inputs, the gas leaked from a block with different establishments including, a cold drink store, a grocery store and a medical clinic.
According to local media, Goyal Milk Plant, a factory that produces dairy products, experienced a gas leak from the cooling system.
Nearby residents have reportedly fainted in their homes, and it is currently unsafe for anyone to enter the area.
Eight persons, including two men, four women and two children, were brought dead to the civil hospital.
Umesh Kumar, a local, said woke up in the morning with a foul smell and a headache. They locked all the doors and windows to prevent themselves from the gas. Later, they decided to move out of the house.
Shambhu Narayan of Jamalpur said his 40-year-old nephew Kabilash Kumar and his wife Barsha Devi along with three children-- 20-year-old Kalpana, Abhay Narayan, 12, and Aryan, 9, -- have died in the incident.
Ram Murat, a local, said his relative Saurav Goyal, 28, and his wife Triti Goyal, brother Gaurav Goyal along with his mother and eight-month-old boy were trapped in the gas leak. The child is out of danger, while the couple and the mother have died. Gaurav's condition is serious.
Individuals within a 300-metre radius of the leak are experiencing difficulty breathing, causing people to avoid the area. The police and civil administration officials are on the scene, providing assistance and relief efforts.
Source: Hindustan Times