At least 22 residents and two fire personnel were hospitalised after a chlorine gas leak at Kondhwa in Pune past midnight on Thursday, fire officials said, according to a PTI report.
The leak was reported around 1 am from an abandoned tank containing chlorine at a defunct water purification plant godown in the Gangadham area, they said.
“Following the leak and the subsequent spread of gas, residents in the vicinity complained of breathlessness. Upon receiving the call, fire teams were dispatched. Several citizens were evacuated, and the leaking tank was patched using safety equipment,” a fire official was quoted as saying in the PTI report.
During the operation, 22 residents and two fire personnel developed breathlessness and were taken to hospital, the official said.
A man who previously operated the water purification plant at the site said he had dismantled the unit, but the chlorine-filled tank appeared to have been left unattended and later developed a leak.
“All the affected residents and the two fire personnel are out of danger and currently under observation at Sassoon General Hospital,” the official added, according to PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)