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Toxic fumes claim four in West Bengal

With the death of two more persons on Tuesday, the toll in Monday's toxic fume disaster at Dasnagar in Howrah has risen to four. A red alert has been sounded in the area against chemical poisoning of ground water.

Environment Minister Manab Mukherjee said at least 60 people, who fell sick after inhaling poisonous fumes from a blaze that broke out in a chemical godown belonging to the Customs department, had been admitted to different hospitals. The condition of at least four is stated to be critical. They are suffering from respiratory trouble.

The poisonous gas has been identified as aniline, Mukherjee said.

The minister announced that an eight-member expert committee, headed by Professor Shyamal Sanyal of the Jadavpur university, has been set up to submit a report on the incident within 15 days.

The appointment of the committee was taken at a high-level meeting, attended among others by Mukherjee, Home (police) Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, Urban Development Minister Ashok Bhattacharjee and Fire Services Minister Pratim Chatterjee.

Mukherjee said the two who died on Tuesday included a sub-officer of fire brigade, who fell sick while fighting the blaze.

The minister said the manager of the godown has been arrested. The owners were also being interrogated.

He said the Pollution Control Board had directed the Customs collector to appear before it and submit an explanation on the ''unlawful storage of hazardous materials'' in the godown, which had been taken on lease.

Strongly criticising the Customs, the minister said it was ''shocking'' that officials of the department had not so far contacted the state government to help identify the materials which caused the killer fumes.

''Had they come forward in time, we would have been able to save the lives of at least two,'' he said.

The minister said the people of Dasnagar area has been ordered not to use tank or pond water.

He, however, dismissed the fear of the gas spreading over a larger area. The effect, he said, was only localised.

The entire industrial estate has been sealed off. Separate investigations into the incident were being conducted by the police and fire brigade, the minister said.

UNI

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