Ankleshwar, India, Mar 11, 2010- A toxic gas leakage and fire at the Bayer Cropscience facility has reportedly resulted in one fatality up to now, say local news reports. The toxic gas is believed have consisted of Mercaptans and Phosphorous compounds. The cause of the accident is not yet known and the local authorities are making investigations. The incident is believed to have occured in the early morning hours.
An engineer working at the facility was believed to be one of the fatalities. Other injuries and fatalities are not known. The site is located in a town named Ankleshwar, which is notorious in India due to chronic problems of polluting industries.
There were reports from surrounding areas about a foul smell that led to complaints of nausea and vomiting, said the local authorities in charge of environmental monitoring.