Officials move to clean up Bhopal gas-leak plant
Bhopal (AsiaNews/Agencies) - India has begun steps to finally clean up an abandoned pesticide plant that 20 years ago belched toxic gas into the atmosphere, killing at least 15,000 people.
"The federal government has asked [state-run] Engineers India Limited to survey the Union Carbide plant to determine how much toxic waste there is on the site and how it can be disposed of," said Uma Shankar Gupta, a local minister in charge of relief for victims of the tragedy. Activists say about 8,000 tonnes of toxic waste is still on the premises
More than 3,500 people died during and immediately after the leak on December 3, 1984. About 40 tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide plant. The Indian government puts the death toll in the past two decades due to the gas leak at 15,000. Victims' rights activists say the figure is double that.
In a report this week, Amnesty International said the death toll was between 22,000 and 25,000. Officials say about 800,000 people still suffer from the after-effects of inhaling the poisonous fumes.
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31/07/2006
