NDRF, Delhi Police teams reach Sonepat to probe gas leak

A day after more than 475 students and teachers from in Tughlaqabad fell ill after inhaling fumes from a chemical that leaked from a container truck, teams from National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), Delhi Police and other agencies were deputed to Sonepat to ascertain how the leakage took place.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police are trying to ascertain the identity of the accused whose negligence led to the chemical leakage.

Sources in Delhi Police have claimed that the leak may likely be a case of sheer negligence, as the containers – which were opened for inspection – may not have been sealed properly.

The teams from NDRF, Delhi Police and other agencies in Sunday also need to ascertain if there are any more leakages.

Rajkamal Malik, Assistant Commandant, NDRF said: "We have detected the leak from four-five barrels. Each barrel contains around 20 litres of the chemical which was leaked. The team from NDRF has seized 80 barrels of the chemical loaded from the container from Sonipat."

Officials further revealed that the said chemical, Chloromethyl Pydrine, was imported from Farmasino Pharmaceutical Limited in China and was being taken to Crystal Crop Protection in Sonepat.

Officials revealed that the chemical arrived in the wee hours of Saturday and was later moved to the trucks, which left for Sonepat by 5 30 am.

The leakage would have possibly occurred while the containers were being checked and loaded to the truck.

As the day progressed, the chemical would have evaporated in the air and caused the damage.

"We are collecting documents and going through terms and conditions to identify who was responsible to safely transport the chemical to Sonepat. We have asked all concerned parties to submit their documents," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East), Romil Baaniya.

Meanwhile, 11 of the affected students were referred to Safdarjung Hospital and their condition is stated to be stable.

An asthmatic girl is undergoing treatment at Apollo, while all girls from the ESI hospital have been discharged.