More than 100 people fell ill in Bangladesh on Tuesday after they inhaled large amounts of ammonia that leaked from a fertiliser plant on the outskirts of Chittagong, Reuters reported . Officials said that the leak, which began on Monday night, was only contained several hours after it began.
The spread of the gas from a state-owned factory was stopped after police and fire brigade officials managed to plug a leaking pipe at the plant, said Mesbah Uddin, the deputy commissioner for the district. “The leakage has been repaired but a few hours more will be needed to get the situation back to normal,” he added. However, at least 50 of those who fell sick are yet to be discharged from a hospital in the area.
The incident comes against the backdrop of Bangladesh being scrutinised over its national safety standards. The country has seen a series of industrial accidents, including fires in garment factories and the collapse of a garment factory in Dhaka in 2013, where more than 1,130 people were reported killed.
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