Tragedy struck a Shah Alam ice factory early this morning after a severe ammonia leak resulted in the death of two workers, and the hospitalization of several others.
Officials received a distress call from the site of the accident at 5:12am this morning, with Fire and Rescue being deployed to the scene, located in the Section 15 area of Shah Alam, a Kuala Lumpur suburb.
The severity of the incident also resulted in members of the Hazardous Materials Unit (Hazmat) being called to the factory, who arrived within 15 minutes of an emergency being declared.
Residents within a three-kilometer radius of the factory have been ordered to vacate their houses, including an independent Chinese school across the street from the factory that has been ordered to close for safety.
While the leak is now contained, authorities have confirmed that two workers, both believed to be Indian nationals, died after being poisoned by the noxious fumes. Their bodies have since been sent to Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) in Klang for a post-mortem.
No further information has been given on their identities.
Several of the other employees affected by the poisonous gas have been sent to other area hospitals for treatment. They have complained of breathing difficulties, vomiting and eye irritation.
Levels of ammonia had reached 500 parts per million, whereas normal safe volumes should never go over 50 ppm. No explanation has been given as to why the leak occurred during the workers’ routine shift, although media outlets are reporting that this is now the second incident that has occurred at the factory.
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