Palghar: A massive leak of hazardous petroleum gas at a chemical unit in Maharashtra’s Palghar district Monday led to the evacuation of over 2,600 people, including 1,600 school students, while three persons complained of minor eye irritation, officials said.
The oleum (fuming sulphuric acid) gas leak affected areas in a five-kilometre radius of the unit in the Boisar MIDC locality on Mumbai’s outskirts and led to the evacuation as a precautionary measure, they said.
The leak, which occurred around 2 pm at the unit of Bhageria Industries Ltd, created a dense cloud of white fumes that spread rapidly due to wind velocity, causing panic among residents and workers in the industrial belt.
The cause of the gas leak was not immediately known.
Palghar District Collector Dr Indu Rani Jakhar, who is personally monitoring the situation, said disaster management plan was activated immediately.
“The leakage occurred from a 2,500-litre capacity oleum day tank. Due to the wind direction, the smoke spread to surrounding areas, impacting a radius of approximately 5 kilometres,” the administration stated in a press release.
As a precautionary measure, the authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of 1,600 students from a local school, Tarapur Vidyamandir. Additionally, more than 1,000 workers from Bhageria Industries and neighbouring firms were moved to safety, it informed.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and the Fire Brigade initially faced hurdles in reaching the unit where the gas leak occurred.
“Due to the high smoke concentration in affected areas, response teams were facing difficulties in reaching the exact location of the leak,” the official release noted.
Chemical experts and NDRF personnel eventually located the source and entered the premises using self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). To suppress the fumes, responders have deployed sandbags around the leaking tank, it said.
At least three persons were reported to have suffered minor eye irritation and are receiving medical treatment at hospitals, according to the officials.
District Superintendent of Police Yatish Deshmukh, who was at the leakage site, asked the villagers not to panic as authorities were taking all possible measures to deal with the situation.
Jakhar appealed to people to stay indoors and follow instructions given by the administration.
“The situation is being constantly monitored in coordination with all departments concerned. Citizens should not believe in rumours,” the collector emphasised.