In a tragic incident, 11 people, including two children, died, while four others were left critical on Sunday morning after inhaling poisonous gas at Ludhiana’s Giaspura area. The incident sent a wave of panic and fear among the locals who confined themselves to their homes, shutting all doors and windows in order to avoid the possibility of inhaling the gas.

Giaspura is a thickly-populated area with several industrial and residential buildings and heavy migrant population. Authorities are suspecting that dumping of some chemicals in the sewer led to the noxious emission.

Four more persons, who were taken ill, are undergoing treatment at a hospital, officials said, adding the area was sealed, the residents were evacuated and a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was at the spot following the incident.

Though the source of the leakage and the type of the gas were yet to be ascertained, the officials said that they suspected that the poisonous gas was released after some chemical was disposed of in the sewerage in the area and reacted with methane.

All the victims belonged to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and had been staying in Ludhiana.

The incident came to light Sunday morning when some people who came to a local grocery store to buy milk started fainting. Four persons died on the spot while others were rushed to the hospital. Among the dead were three members of the family that owned the store and five from another. Police said five females and six males were among the dead.

The Punjab Government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for those rendered sick by exposure to the gas.

Taking stock of the situation in the area and civil hospitals, the State Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann told him to reach the spot and ensure the best treatment for those admitted in hospitals.

“The families of the deceased and other affected families have the Government’s unwavering support…Four of the patients, being treated in civil hospitals, are out of danger now,” he added. At the same time, the Minister said that exemplary action would be taken against the perpetrators. Later, the Health Minister also visited the affected area in Giaspura.

Even as the investigators were yet to ascertain the source of gas leakage and the type of gas, the preliminary reports indicate that the deaths were caused due to neurotoxicity that occurs when the exposure to natural or manmade toxic substances (neurotoxicants) alters the normal activity of the nervous system that includes brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

“The nature of gas was neuro-toxic…As per the medical examination till now, the deaths were not caused by suffocation but by the harmful effect of the gas on the nervous system of the victims,” said Ludhiana Civil Surgeon Dr Hatinder Kaur.

Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik said: “It is likely that deaths happened due to gas contamination. Now the teams are going to collect samples from manholes. It is likely that some chemical has reacted with methane.”

Malik added that the deaths were caused due to the release of neuro toxins at the spot. “All these aspects are being verified. NDRF is engaged in process of extracting samples from manholes. These samples will be tested for various chemicals. The entire area has been evacuated and the surrounding area has been cordoned off,” she said.

“We request the people not to spread or believe in rumours. Please stay away from this area till further update,” she added.

Meanwhile, Ludhiana police have registered an FIR under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Sahnewal police station against unknown persons.

As per the FIR, it is suspected that some unknown persons dumped industrial waste illegally into the sewage which led to a chemical reaction and toxic gas was produced leading to deaths.

In a similar incident in June 2015, five people were killed and at least 100 others fell ill after ammonia gas had leaked from a tanker in Doraha town of the Ludhiana district.

“It is likely that there is some gas contamination. We are collecting samples from manholes. It is quite likely that some chemical reacted with methane in manholes,” Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik told reporters.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Amarjit Singh Bains said, “A broken manhole has been found in the area and there was a strong smell emanating from it. There is a possibility that the chemical has been poured into the sewerage from that point”.

Through the public address system, people are being called to stay away from the area. Police also deployed drones to check for other victims who could be lying unconscious.

The deceased were identified as Abhay (13), Aryan (10), Kalpna (16), Kamlesh (60), Varsha (35), Sourav (35), Preety (31), Kavilash (40), Navneet (39), Neetu Devi (39) and an unidentified person.

Heart-rending scenes were witnessed outside the mortuary of the civil hospital, where the bodies were brought for post-mortem.