50 fall ill following Chlorine gas leak near Howrah

leaked from a drum inside a factory in Howrah's Ghushuri on Monday morning.

The incident that took place near Jagannath ghat in Belur sparked panic among locals.

People felt a burning sensation in their eyes following the leakage. Some of the nearby schools were shut down due to the incident.

After being informed, fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot and threw the packed container into

River Hooghly.

The river water turned yellow due to chemical reaction, posing a serious threat to the plants and animals underwater.

Those who were injured were immediately taken to T L Jaiswal Hospital in Howrah. Most of the victims had complained about a burning sensation in their

eyes and respiratory distress.

While most of the patients are now stated to be in stable condition, some

were vomiting.

Some of the locals around Jagannath ghat became agitated and prevented the fire brigade to bury the container near the bank.

Having found no option, the fire brigade personnel finally threw the container into the river polluting the water.

When the factory officials found the drum to be leaking they immediately informed the matter to the fire brigade and police who rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

Police helped the fire brigade personnel to take the drum to Jagannath ghat for defusing the gas.

They used microphones to alert locals living around Jagannath ghat to go away from the river bank as the container was thrown into the river.

Locals, however, alleged that fire personnel reached the spot late.

According to police, the leakage took place at around 9 am on Monday.

The fire brigade officials initially tried to identify the leakage. After identifying the leakage, they started repairing it. Soaps were applied to repair the leakage.

Locals were asked by the fire officials not to light matches to avert any major tragedy.