ZAMBOANGA CITY, 21 August 2003 — At least 27 people, mostly children, were taken ill here yesterday due a gas leak from a chlorine tank that a man tried to dismantle inside a junk shop.
Most of the victims were rushed to the Zamboanga City Medical Center after they showed signs of gas poisoning in the village of Sta. Barbara, hospital chief Dr. George Rojo said.
“The patients are puking and feeling dizzy and some complained of stomach pains after inhaling the gas. They are being observed by doctors,” Rojo told a local radio network DXRZ-RMN.
Rojo initially suspected ammonia as the culprit, but local sanitary inspector Rogelio Bucoy told reporters that the gas was chlorine that leaked from a metal cylinder that a man tried to dismantle in the junk shop. “Our initial investigation led us to believed that it was chlorine. The chemical has also expired,” Bucoy told the same radio station in an interview.
He said the man was also poisoned and rushed to hospital. “The man was trying to dismantle the cylinder tank thinking it was empty. He was the first victim rushed to hospital,” Bucoy said.
Dozens of families living near the junk shop have evacuated for fear the gas may spread. Several people nearby were spotted wearing gas masks and environment officials also arrived with mask.
The radio station, which first reported the incident around 10 a.m., said it was flooded with frantic phone calls from listeners living near the area and asking what to do.
Paramedics contacted by DZRZ-RMN also rushed to the scene, evacuating as many people as they could until the place is declared safe from the gas. There were no reports of casualties, but health officials and doctors cautioned the residents in the area to come to hospital immediately if they feel sick or dizzy.
