Over 40 hospitalised after inhaling poisonous gas

 The leakage, which started around 8.30 am, was plugged by afternoon and the situation was brought under control.

An FIR was registered against the management of Naik Oceanic Exports Pvt Ltd, owned by Rafiq Naik, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Following the leakage, an angry mob from Dongricha Pada village threw stones at the security cabin of the plant and damaged four vehicles of the company, according to senior Inspector D K Ghule at the Taloja police station.

“At the moment, 39 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals. More than 40 victims, including children, were taken to various hospitals but some have been discharged after first aid,” Ghule said.

Soon after the leak, workers inside the plant started coughing. People in the village adjacent to the plant, located in the MIDC area of Taloja, also had breathing problems. The fire brigade and chemical analyst experts rushed to the spot and managed to plug the leak near the valve of the tank.  The entire factory and nearby premises have been evacuated, police said.

“Most of the factories in this region remained closed on Tuesdays because of load-shedding. This company was also closed today, but there were some workers inside,” Ghule said. 

“Had the incident happened on a working day, the number of victims would have been more,” Ghule added.