NH3 gas leak: Many people bleeding, animals dying everywhere

Toxic gas leaked out when a pipeline ruptured at a company in Ho Chi Minh City, causing many people to have blood coming out of their mouths. A teacher led students away from the area.

On the afternoon of October 10, hundreds of residents in Hamlet 2, An Phu Tay Commune, Binh Chanh District (Ho Chi Minh City) returned home after many hours of being evacuated by the authorities, away from the area of ​​Vinh Loc Company Limited - where the NH3 (Ammonia) gas leak occurred, causing 4 people to be hospitalized.

They still had shocked looks on their faces, gathered to discuss the number of dead and damaged animals and crops.

Pigs and chickens lay dead all over Mr. Tai's house.

Living near the scene, Mr. Thanh (25 years old) said that at around 9am, he heard a loud explosion. Many people in the house shouted "gas explosion" so he and everyone else ran outside.

"I saw dozens of people near Vinh Loc Company covering their mouths and running away, the strong chemical smell went straight into my nose. Only then did I realize that there was a gas leak from the filling station, not a gas explosion. Many people couldn't breathe, collapsed on the street, tears and snot streaming down their faces," Thanh said.

The gas from the filling station spread out like a thin wisp of smoke. "Immediately after that, a male and female worker ran out of the company screaming for help, saying 'I can't breathe, it's too hot'. I took a hose and sprayed water directly on them. Blood flowed out of their mouths with the water," he added.

The gas tanker driver and a passerby also collapsed. They, along with two workers, were given first aid and rushed to the hospital. Many small animals such as chickens, pigs, and dogs also struggled and died after smelling the NH3 gas.

The house next to the Vinh Loc company's decanting station, the family of Nguyen Tan Tai suffered the most damage. When the gas leak happened, he and his wife went to work, when he returned home he was shocked to see 4 dogs, 5 pigs and a flock of 10 chickens lying dead in the garden.

"The whole house had a strong, pungent smell that hit my nose. Looking at the dogs that died tragically, my wife hugged them and cried her eyes out. In addition to the pets, the plants in the garden were also withered and drooping," said Mr. Tai.

The trees withered after the incident.

Due to the dangerous nature of the incident, the Binh Chanh District Fire Police dispatched a chemical treatment vehicle and four water trucks to the scene. They coordinated with local authorities to evacuate 200 residents.

More than 1,000 students from An Phu Tay 2 Primary School - 500 meters from the scene - were also urgently evacuated. In addition to those who were taken away by police cars, the rest were guided by teachers to find a way out.

"The teacher led me and my friends to run across the field. I and many of my friends were scared and cried," said Tho, a second grader.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Pham Trung Thang - Deputy Head of the Fire Police Department of Binh Chanh District - the incident of NH3 gas leak, a very toxic gas, was identified, and the force immediately blocked off the scene to ensure safety.

"We deployed two teams to handle chemicals and spray water to dilute the concentration of NH3 in the air. A few minutes later, a team wearing gas masks approached the leak to stop it and continued to spray mist to dilute the concentration around the area," said Lieutenant Colonel Thang.

According to initial investigation, the incident occurred when workers were filling liquefied ammonia gas into bottles. While working, the gas cylinder exploded, causing the NH3 gas pipeline to burst.

After measuring the ammonia concentration in the environment in the area, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health found that the concentration at the decanting facility was still high, so it recommended that people open the doors for ventilation.

Three of the four cases taken to the emergency room are stable but are still being monitored at the hospital, the remaining person is still on oxygen.

According to local residents, this gas filling station exploded once in 2008.

According to VNE