On Sunday morning, 11 people, including two children, died due to a gas leak in Ludhiana's Gyaspura. The exact gas responsible for the incident is not yet known. The doctor who examined the bodies of the dead said that the deaths occurred due to poison reaching the brain and had no effect on the lungs.
It was found that the building from which gas leaked was a department store and milk booth. A sewer line was passing nearby, and it was revealed that chemicals had been put into the sewer, which led to the formation of poisonous gas.
Ludhiana's Deputy Commissioner (DC) Surabhi Malik stated that the respiratory system of those who died did not show any signs of suffocation. Instead, the cause of death was neurotoxin (nervous system toxic poison), which directly affected the brain.
Authorities suspect that a chemical reaction occurred in the sewerage manhole, which led to the incident. National Disaster Management Force (NDRF) teams have been called to the site, and machines have been installed to check for gas leakage. Samples have been taken from the sewerage manhole for analysis.
There are three potential reasons for the gas leak that caused the deaths in Ludhiana's Gyaspura.
1. It is possible that the gas leaked from the nearby sewer line, which spread throughout the area and caused people to faint. The point of leakage is suspected to be near the Goyal cold drinks shop, where many people died.
2. There is a possibility that someone poured a toxic chemical into the sewer line, causing a chemical reaction that formed a poisonous gas and led to the fatalities. The Ludhiana Police Commissioner, Mandeep Sidhu, also suggested that someone may have put a chemical into the sewer to remove industrial waste, which may have caused the gas leak.
Nine killed in Ludhiana gas leak; NDRF reach site
3. Broken manhole covers in the sewer line may have allowed poisonous gas to seep out. Police suspect that the gas formed inside the sewer and escaped through these broken covers. It is also possible that there was a leak in the departmental store and milk booth where most of the deaths occurred, although authorities have denied this possibility in their initial investigations.
According to eyewitness accounts, some people claimed that a chemical was poured into the sewer line at night, which caused the gas leak that led to fatalities in Ludhiana's Gyaspura. They stated that during the rainy season, waste chemicals from dyeing and chemical-using factories in the area are often discharged into the sewerage, and after light rain on Saturday night, such chemicals were released in the sewer line.
On Sunday morning, there was a sewerage jam in the area, and Gaurav Goyal and Sourav, who run a shop named Goyal Kariana Store, reportedly hit poles and other objects in the blocked sewer line to help drain the water. However, as soon as they hit the first object in the sewer line, 35-year-old Sourav collapsed, and the gas began to spread. Sourav's wife Preeti and mother Kamlesh Goyal also died due to the gas leak, and Sourav's brother, Gaurav, is in critical condition. These accounts highlight the potential dangers of improper disposal of hazardous waste and the need for proper waste management practices.
According to Police Commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu, the cause of death is not suffocation, but the gas affected the victims' minds. The investigation has revealed that a manhole cover near the site of the incident was found broken and burnt black, leading to suspicion that the gas might have leaked from it. The police are looking into this possibility and are trying to determine the exact cause of the gas leak.
Following the tragic incident in Ludhiana, the Punjab Police has taken swift action by sealing the affected area. The fire brigade and ambulance have been deployed to provide necessary assistance. Moreover, a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also arrived at the scene to help with the situation.