Ludhiana: City Police Commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu said on Sunday that the poisonous gas that spread in the densely populated Gyaspura area of Ludhiana district in Punjab has affected the brain of those who came in contact with it, said which gas is this, which has had such a fatal effect? To find out, the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) will take a sample of the gas.
Police Commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu said, ’11 people including 5 members of a family died in the incident. Four others are hospitalized and their condition is critical. We are registering a case at the concerned police station. Sampling of gas will be done by NDRF, after investigation, they will confirm what kind of gas it was. Blood sampling of the deceased is also being done. Doctors say that the gas has not affected his lungs, but his brain.
Meanwhile, a report in India Today claimed that the authorities suspect a gas leak from the deep freezer inside a grocery store in the Gyaspura area as people who visited the shop fainted. The NDRF has deployed a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) team of 35 members, who are experts in dealing with gas leak incidents.
Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik said that there is a possibility that some chemicals in the sewer might have reacted with the methane gas. The Deputy Commissioner said that the people who lost their lives in the incident did not show any symptoms of respiratory problems. “It is suspected that neurotoxins (changes in the normal activity of the nervous system due to exposure to toxic substances) may have caused the death,” he said.
An official of the district administration said that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team that reached the spot will find out which gas leaked and what was its source and cause. Police have sealed the area and a fire engine and an ambulance have been deployed there for relief and rescue operations.
