11 dead in Ludhiana gas leak tragedy, 4 fall ill; area sealed

Eleven people, including three children, died after a gas leak in a thickly populated area in Punjab's Ludhiana on Sunday, with many of the victims falling unconscious near a grocery store where they had gone to buy milk early in the morning.

- Aneesha Sareen Kumar

LUDHIANA: Four other people, who are reported to be in critical, are undergoing treatment at two hospitals in the city, officials said, adding that the area has been sealed and all residents have been evacuated.

A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team, which was rushed in from Bathinda soon after the incident, detected high levels of hydrogen sulphide in the area, Ludhiana deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik said.

While an exact cause was yet to be determined, officials aware of preliminary investigations said they believe sudden dumping of some chemical from one of the industrial units in the area into the civic sewage line set off a reaction, creating large amounts of hydrogen sulphide that appeared to have had leaked from a particular manhole at the spot.

Inhaling high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide, or H2S, which smells of rotten eggs, gas can lead to rapid unconsciousness and death.

The first call about people lying unconscious near a grocery store was made to the police at around 7.15am, said Ludhiana police commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu.

Upon reaching the spot, 15 people were rushed to the hospital.

While four were declared dead on arrival, seven others died soon after at the hospital, said Sidhu.

A factory worker, Laddu Tiwari, was one of the first people at the spot and helped rush some of the victims to a hospital.