Seven workers fell ill, three of them seriously, after inhaling poisonous gas while cleaning up waste at a closed paper mill in Chhattisgarh’s coal-rich Raigarh district on Wednesday, officials said on Thursday. They fell unconscious and were rushed to hospital. One worker has been put on ventilator at Raipur’s MMI Hospital and his condition was stated to be critical.
The incident took place on Wednesday night at Shakti Papers Mill in a rural pocket, about 250 km from Raipur. However, the factory owner did not inform the administration about the incident, which came to light after the hospital authorities alerted the police on Thursday, said Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar Singh. A case has been registered against the mill management.
The gas leak sparked panic in nearby areas housing about 60 poverty-hit families. A team of forensic experts are examining the site to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.
“Seven workers of the paper mill who were taking paper waste out of an open tank complained about difficulties in breathing and were rushed to a local hospital. Three of them were taken to Raipur for urgent medical attention,” the SP told The Pioneer over phone.
He said the paper mill, which is based in village Tetla, had been closed since late March this year when a nationwide lockdown was enforced in the wake of Covid-19. But the workers were undertaking cleanliness work without wearing safety masks in a bid to resume operation at the unit.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel took serious note of the incident and directed the local administration to provide all possible help to the workers.