Incident at Old Kesare scrap shop; toddler among affected persons; 26 treated; 11 still in hospital

Mysore/Mysuru: As many as 37 people, including a toddler, fell indisposed following a chlorine gas leak at a gujari (scrap) shop at Old Kesare in the city last evening. The victims experienced breathing problems including breathlessness while some others had severe vomiting and cough. Oxygen masks had to be strapped around their heads at hospitals.

While 26 among them were treated at hospitals and discharged, the remaining 11 are still under treatment at K.R. Hospital on Irwin Road, District Hospital in Metagalli, Nagarajegowda Hospital in Alanahalli, and Prajwal Hospital on Outer-Ring Road and fortunately, all are out of danger.

The incident occurred at the shed of ‘Rida Steel Traders’ when the valves of chlorine gas cylinders were opened to crush the cylinders. The leftover chemical in the cylinders started leaking as two workers involved in the task were the first to be affected and fell sick. Five workers at a sofa repair shop behind the scrap yard also fell ill, along with the residents nearby, including a one-and-a-half-year-old kid named Diya, who was admitted to KR Hospital.

The names of some of the other victims are: Prema, 55 years; Bhavana, 25 years; Pavan, 8 years; Bihath, 10 years; Chaitanya, 9 years; Bhaskar, 8 years; Nandan, 5 years; Vidyashree, 28 years; Shwetha, 28 years; Jaleelia, 2 years; Gowramma, 70 years; Nagaraju, 10 years; Vijayalakshmi, 35 years; Jyothivani, 23 years; Netravathi, 25 years; Deepti, 28 years; Vishalakshi, and Sonia, 20 years.

Some among them experienced breathing problems, while some others had severe vomiting and cough. They were all rushed to hospitals promptly, which came in handy in providing timely treatment.

The unsuspecting people staying near the scrap yard were initially anxious as some among them started falling ill, as the gas quickly pervaded the locality.

Learning about the incident, fire services personnel attached to Bannimantap Fire Station rushed to the scrap yard and stopped further leakage, averting the possibility of a major accident. The cylinders were later shifted to another safe location.

Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Jayaramaiah, Regional Fire Officer (RFO) Chandan, and District Fire Officer (DFO) Ramesh visited the spot. They also warned scrap dealers against crushing empty cylinders in residential areas.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. P.C. Kumaraswamy, who also visited the spot and enquired about the health condition of the affected individuals at the hospitals.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Dr. Kumaraswamy said, “Many people were affected by the chlorine leak and some of them have already been discharged from hospitals after treatment. The others admitted at the hospitals are recovering.”

City Police Commissioner B. Ramesh, along with DCP (Law and Order) M. Muthuraj and DCP (Crime and Traffic) S. Jahnavi, inspected the scrap yard and directed the jurisdictional Narasimharaja (NR) Police Station Officers to file a case against the shop owner for negligence. They cited the crushing of cylinders without taking safety measures as the cause, endangering the health of others.

Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra also visited the spot and assessed the situation, with a large number of Policemen deployed in the area.