Bhopal disaster - part II

The gas cloud was composed mostly of materials denser than the surrounding air, so it was clearly visible. That fact also helped it to stay close to the ground and spread outwards through the surrounding community, making heavy damage on everyone who got in the way. The initial effects of exposure were coughing, vomiting, severe eye irritation and a feeling of suffocation. When the panic started, many people were trampled to death trying to escape. Literally thousands of people had fallen victims of the deadly gas cloud by the next morning. There were mass funerals and cremations, while some of the bodies were disposed in the Narmada River. Read more about the Bhopal disaster aftermath here. You can also watch a short documentary on Youtube. Warning, some pictures are quite graphic!

Return to: Bhopal disaster - part I

Bhopal disaster

The Bhopal Disaster of 1984 is widely regarded as the worst industrial disaster in human history. It has shown a concerning high level of vulnerability to industrial crises of developing countries. The disaster in India involved a massive chemical leak from a methyl isocyanate processing plant, resulting in a toxic cloud of dangerous chemicals flowing through the densely populated areas around the plant. Over four thousand people were killed and hundreds of thousands crippled with life-long symptoms. It all happened on the night of December 2, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Read more about the incident here. You can also watch a short documentary on Youtube.

Next: Bhopal disaster - part II