Rescue personnel rendering immediate emergency assistance to students who breath in hazardous gas. (Photo: Johor Fire and Rescue Department)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Thirty-five people, mainly students, have beenhospitalised after breathing in methane from chemical waste that had beenillegally dumped into a river in Pasir Gudang, Johor state, Malaysianauthorities said on March 7.
According to Johor state’s rescue and fire-fighter forces, the victims, agedfrom seven to 40 years old, are students and kitchen staffers of two nearbyschools.
“Twenty-one people arewarded at the Sultan Ismail Hospital here including three in the Intensive CareUnit (ICU), five are being treated at the emergency unit of the hospital whilethe rest were given outpatient treatment and allowed to go home," Bernamaquoted Johor Health, Environment and Agriculture Committeechairman Sahruddin Jamal as saying.
He said that all of them are now in stable condition.
Earlier, more than 1,000 people, mostly students, were evacuated after theJohor Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call from the PasirGudang district reporting a strong smell, suspected to be chemicals in thelocation.
The situation is under control and the smell of gas is less now, SahruddinJamal said, adding that authorities have taken samples from the site forfurther investigation.-VNA
VNA
