Goemkarponn desk
MERCES: Residents in the Bamon Bhat-Merces scrapyard were left gasping for air after a gas leak left eighteen people hospitalized and five more admitted to the GMC hospital.
The incident happened early on Thursday morning when a chlorine gas cylinder at the scrapyard began to leak, based on the information that is currently available.
Locals reported that as the leak got bigger, there was a gas explosion that looked like a dark cloud. The explosion caused the trees and shrubs near the explosion site to lose their leaves.
However, many residents were gasping for air due to the eak, and some of them fled to other areas to avoid the suffocation.
Following a gas leak that sent five more people to the GMC hospital and eighteen people to the hospital, residents of the Bamon Bhat-Merces scrapyard were left breathless.
Five people, including the owner, were admitted to the hospital while a total of 18 people received treatment at the GMC casualty, according to an Old Goa police source.
A fire brigade raced to the scene to assess the situation as soon as the Panaji fire station was notified of the incident. But at first, the scrapyard workers told the firemen they had only sprinkled powdered chlorine around the area, so they attempted to conceal the cylinders.
