Gas leak deaths: GNFC announces Rs 8 lakh relief, plant shut down

Bharuch: The Toulene Di-Isocyanate (TDI) plant of the Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (GNFC) located in Rahiad village near Dahej in Bharuch district has been shut following the leakage of deadly Phosgene gas late last night which has killed at least four of its workers.

Nine other affected have been admitted to various hospitals in Bharuch and Vadodara of whom the condition of two is said to be critical.

Meanwhile the GNFC administration has announced a compensation of Rs eight lakh for each of the deceased. The management has constituted a high level technical committee to investigate the accident and the plant would remain shut till the inquiry.

Police said that a faulty gasket lead to the phosgene gas leak in the plant. Among those affected by the leak around 10 were contract labourers and three company employees. Three of the deceased are said to be residents of Bihar while one is local.The deceased were identified as Khurshid Shafi (21, resident Bihar), Mohammed Tayyab Ansari (25, Res- Rahiyad), Mohammed Jainuddin (43, Res- Muzaffarpur Bihar), Vasim Ahmed (49, Res- Gopalganj, Bihar). All are said to be contract labourers.

Notably the same plant was issued a closure notice by the industrial safety department in January 2014 when a similar incident of the leakage of Phosgene gas in the TDI plant had left 15 seriously ill.

DeshGujarat