A sudden toxic gas leak at Deeps Tools Pvt Ltd located in Industrial Area-A near RK Road in Ludhiana claimed lives of three persons on Monday.
The deceased included a father and son duo while several other workers also suffered health problems due to exposure to the gas and according to eyewitnesses tank cleaning work was being carried out inside the factory on Sunday night when toxic gas suddenly started leaking and within a short time the gas spread across factory premises.
Witnesses said concentration of gas was very high leaving workers with little or no time to escape and some workers reportedly collapsed on spot due to suffocation and severe irritation in their eyes.
Three persons lost their lives in the incident and the deceased were identified as Mann Singh, his son Amit and another factory worker.
Family members said that Mann Singh and Amit were main earning members of the family and Amit is survived by his wife, two sisters, a younger brother and a one-year-old daughter and his wife is a homemaker.
Speaking about the incident the deceased's daughter said that her father and brother had gone to factory on Sunday night for tank cleaning work "They usually return home by 4 am every day. I kept calling them but no one answered. Early this morning when I reached the factory I was told that the workers had died because of a gas leak" she said.
She further alleged that factory management did not contact the family or provide any information about the incident. “Factory management didn't call us even once or give us any information. When we rushed to the hospital we learned that my father, brother and another worker had died" she added.
Following the incident police started an investigation, ACP Inderjit Singh Boparai said that a case has been registered and the matter is being investigated.
He said that action would be taken according to law and ACP also stated that the concerned departments are investigating which chemical or gas leaked and led to deaths along with this officials from district administration, Municipal Corporation and Punjab Pollution Control Board also reached factory and started their investigation into the incident.
The exact cause of gas leak and nature of chemical involved are yet to be determined. The investigation is currently underway.
