1 Dead After Ammonia Gas Leakage At Noida Haldiram, Over 300 Evacuated

A 42-year-old worker died reportedly after an ammonia gas leak at a Noida Sector 65 Haldiram building, while more than 300 others were evacuated from there. According to officials, the leakage was first reported around 12 pm, prompting deployment of police force, firefighters and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at the spot.

Haldiram has two adjoining units at the building. While one was the production unit, the other was its cooling or the maintenance unit. The gas was leakage occurred in the valve of one of the four ammonia condensers in the cooling unit.

"The gas leak had occurred through the valve of one of the four ammonia condensers in the maintenance unit where around 22 people were working and evacuated. One of them was taken to a hospital, where he died later," new agency PTI quoted NDRF Assistant Commandant Anil Kumar Singh as saying.

The deceased person has been identified as ammonia operator Sanjeev Kumar, who worked in the maintenance unit of Haldiram. More than 300 other workers were in the production unit and they were also evacuated immediately and the building marked isolated for the time being, Singh said.

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Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia, also used as a refrigerant gas, causes immediate burning of eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract and can result in blindness, lung damage or death. Firefighters, who responded to the emergency, had diluted the ammonia gas which had got mixed in the air in and around the building, a Fire Department official said.

"We sprayed water in the air to neutralise the ammonia. Ammonia solution was also used on the condensers to check the leak. The main gas pipeline has been closed since," the official said.