13 ill in Taling Chan ammonia leak

13 ill in Taling Chan ammonia leak

Lack of maintenance at an ice factory in Taling Chan district of Bangkok caused an ammonia leakage, sending 13 people to hospital, including two young infants, according to police.

Police received a reported on Monday night of an ammonia gas leak at the Dynamic Ice Chain Enterprise premises. Police and emergency workers rushed to the scene, in Soi Suan Pak 10 in Taling Chan.

They reported a strong ammonia odour all over the area. At the same time, local people were fleeing their homes. Some of them complained of nausea, difficulty in breathing and stinging eyes.

Rescue workers sent a total of 13 people to the nearby hospitals, among them a three-month-old boy and a one-year-old girl who were both unconscious at the time.

It took the emergency crew about half an hour to shut down the leak.

Wichai Tigosri, 40, a company truck driver, told the police that prior to the incident he heard a loud noise and thought that the roof had collapsed. The gas spewed out forcefully from a pipe joint. The workers scattered  in different directions, some jumped into a canal behind the factory for safety, he said.

The investigating officer suspected the leak was caused by faulty maintenance and the factory's round the clock operation.

The Pollution Control Department is investigating the incident.


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