Dozens fall unconscious after ammonia leak at meat factory in India, probe on

Following a chemical leak at an Indian meat processing company on Thursday, authorities said that dozens of employees lost consciousness and were sent to the hospital. This was the second such incident in as many days.

A pipe carrying ammonia ruptured in a meat factory of Aligarh in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, spewing toxic gases into the premises and causing the workers to complain of breathing difficulties and many of them passingout, said police.

"At least 55 workers, mostly women, were rushed to the hospital after the leak," a local police official told AFP. "Most of the workers were unconscious."

Emergency personnel arrived at the business quickly and began attempting to contain the deadly gas's spread.

According to police, the factory had been temporarily blocked and the event was being looked into.

Also Read:More than 5,000 ‘ghost flights’ flew to or from the UK since 2019: Report

The leak in Aligarh occurred less than a day after an ammonia gas leak at a shrimp processing facility in eastern Odisha state left 28 workers sick, with at least five of them in critical condition.

In 1984, a gas leak at a pesticide facility operated by the US business Union Carbide resulted in thousands of deaths, making it one of the greatest industrial catastrophes in history for India.

(with inputs from agencies)