The incident came to light when factory workers reported about leakage of a gas from the factory. As fire department were also informed about the incident, fire tenders rushed at the spot.
Ahmedabad: An ice factory in Ahmedabad on Thursday reported leakage of ammonia gas. The local authorities evacuated workers of the factory and residents living in the close proximity. No injuries or fatalities has been reported after the incident.
As per the initial reports, the ‘severe category’ ammonia gas leak took place at around 7 pm at National Ice Factory in Ahmedabad’s Narol area.
The incident came to light when factory workers reported about leakage of a gas from the factory. As fire department were also informed about the incident, fire tenders rushed at the spot. The situation was reportedly brought under control after two and a half hours of operation. Leakage of gas was involved diluting the ammonia gas in the air with water spraying. The agencies, in order to ensure safety of area residents and factory workers, evacuated them to a safer place. To carry out the operation properly, vehicular movement was also stopped in the vicinity of the ice factory.
Fire officials said that after receiving a call in this regard, as many as 30 fire-fighters and 10 fire service vehicles were rushed to the spot. They said that leakage might have occurred from the main compressor after which the ammonia gas was released in the atmosphere. A vicinity of 200 metres from the ice factory got affected due to the incident.
Since ammonia gas is lighter than air and is soluble and dilutable in water also, fire-fighters sprayed mist in all directions in the affected area. Houses and shops located there were evacuated from immediate effect.
