Gas leak at steel plant: 2 labourers dead, 3 others ill

Kolkata: Two labourers of the IISCO steel plant of Steel Authority of India Limited died on Wednesday and three others fell ill after toxic gas leaked from a chamber at Burnpur in Asansol.

The incident took place in the afternoon when the labourers were working at the battery unit. Among the two deceased, one person has been identified as Suman Biswas. He was working close to the gas chamber when the incident took place.

The other deceased, identified as Baban Sarkar, had gone down as Biswas was not responding to his calls. When Sarkar also stopped communicating with other labourers, a few of them went to the unit to find out what happened. But after climbing down a few steps, they could smell the gas and thus returned. Other officials and CISF personnel were informed.

Meanwhile, three more labourers, who were trying to find Biswas and Sarkar, fell ill. Later, CISF personnel, equipped with oxygen masks, went down and rescued Sarkar and Biswas. All five of them were rushed to the steel plant hospital, where the two succumbed later.

It had been alleged that the plant authority forced the labourers to work without any safety gear. After the incident, labourers gheraoed the General Manager of the plant. Later, police rescued the official.