Foul smell in several Mumbai areas triggers panic; BMC says 'situation under control'

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, June 7

Suspecting leakage of gas after a foul smell spread through Mumbai’s eastern suburbs late Saturday night, panic-stricken residents of several neighbourhoods phoned the authorities and rushed outdoors.

Officials from the Mumbai fire brigade said they received a number of calls from residents of Chembur, Mankhurd, Ghatkopar, Powai, Kanjurmarg, and Vikhroli who complained of a foul smell in the neighbourhood.

Fire brigade and police personnel who rushed to the area in hazmat suits on the wee hours of Sunday morning suspected a gas leak from the US Vitamin Company in Govandi.

“We did not find any sign of a gas leak at the factory premises. We are now looking at other industrial establishments in the area,” an official from the control room of the Mumbai Fire Brigade said this afternoon.

”We deployed 17 fire engines and several senior fire officers searched several areas around the addresses of the callers. So far we have found nothing. We are also looking at the possibility of methane leaking from the drains,” P Rahangdale, Chief of the Mumbai Fire

Brigade said on Sunday evening.

He however added that fire officials were on standby in case of any gas leak in the coming hours.

Several industrial facilities like Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL), Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF) having facilities in the area have been asked to remain on alert.

Shiv Sena Minister Aaditya Thackeray took to Twitter on Sunday asking people to close their doors and windows and stay indoors.