Ammonia Gas Leak From Cold Storage Triggers Panic In Bihar's Chapra

Panic spread across the Hemnagar area of Chapra in Bihar's Saran district after an ammonia gas leak was reported from a cold storage facility on Friday.

As a strong smell of gas spread through the area, residents became alarmed and many stepped out of their homes as a precaution. The incident created an atmosphere of fear among people living near the cold storage unit.

Soon after receiving information about the leak, teams from the local administration and the fire department rushed to the spot to assess the situation and prevent any further risk. Saran Sub-Divisional Magistrate Nitesh Kumar and Regional Fire Officer Suraj Kumar reached the site along with their teams to oversee the emergency response. The situation was brought under control with minimal leakage. 

"We got the information of a gas leak. We reached here immediately, and on reaching the scene, we got to know that ammonia gas had leaked from a cold storage. The situation is now under control with minimal leakage. The engineer will be reaching soon who will help stop the leak completely," Regional Fire Officer told ANI.

Authorities have also deployed ambulances in the area to assist residents who experienced discomfort due to the gas leak. According to reports, one person has been taken to a hospital for medical attention.

Reports suggested that experts are continuing to monitor the situation while repair work is being arranged to stop the leakage completely.

An probe has now been ordered into the licensing of the Hemnagar cold storage facility after local authorities shut down its pipelines following the gas leak and cited a critical lack of safety measures.

Saran SDM Nitesh Kumar says, "We received information of ammonia gas leak at a cold storage plant... We have come here for inspection. The main supply pipelines have been closed... Efforts were made to mitigate the situation by spraying water to help settle and filter out the ammonia from the atmosphere. The plant lacked adequate safety measures, so we will be investigating the grounds on which it was provided a license by the Agriculture Department..."

(With ANI inputs)