NEW DELHI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Over 24 people have been hospitalized following a gas leakage at a water treatment plant in the northern Indian hilly state of Uttarakhand Friday, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said.
The incident took place at Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan, the main water treatment plant, in the state capital of Dehradun.
"More than two dozen people have been admitted to the hospital due to the leak of chlorine gas at Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan located at Dehradun, the situation is under control," Chief Minister Rawat tweeted.
The chlorine gas leaked from cylinders kept at the plant to purify water before it is supplied to the city.
Rawat said he was personally keeping a tab on the situation and a specialized team of doctors has also been sent to the disaster site.
"I am keeping an eye on the incident, team of doctors deployed," he tweeted.
A probe has been ordered into the incident. "By detecting all the facts, it will be ensured that there is no recurrence of such incidents in the future. I wish the affected people to be healthy," Rawat added.
Gas leak incidents are not uncommon in India, the notable being the Bhopal gas tragedy.
Some 4,000 people were killed when methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals leaked from the U.S.-based Union Carbide's pesticide plant in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal in 1984. The incident was considered the world's worst industrial disaster.
