DHAKA, 8 May 2005 — An angry mob in Bangladesh stormed a fertilizer factory yesterday, clashing with workers after the plant released a toxic gas that sickened more than a dozen local residents, police said.
Fifteen people fell badly ill yesterday after inhaling toxic fumes from the newly built fertilizer factory near the Bangladeshi capital, police said
“Fifteen people were taken to hospital after becoming seriously ill from inhaling gas emitted by a chemical factory at Fatullah,” police officer in-charge Mohammad Shafiqullah said.
People living in the residential area near the factory complained to authorities late Friday after their cows fell ill and the leaves of trees turned a reddish color, he said.
“As soon as over two dozen people became sick early this (Saturday) morning, several hundred angry residents stormed the factory and caused substantial damage,” he said.
The residents demanded the factory be shut down. When workers refused, about 1,000 people stormed the plant armed with bamboo sticks and iron rods, Habib said.
About 40 of the residents and factory workers — including six Chinese — were injured in the confrontation, he said. The residents forced the factory to shut down.
It was not clear immediately what chemical was released or what caused the emission, but an initial police investigation indicated it might be from a technical problem at the plant.
Residents alleged that the owners had illegally constructed the factory in a residential area in violation of environmental regulations, a charge the owners denied.
“There is no fault, and we have environment clearances from the government,” Jamal Uddin, factory manager, told reporters.
The administration ordered suspension of the factory’s production, area’s chief administrator S.M. Harunur Rashid told reporters.
“We are investigating the whole issue,” he said.
