Bhopal Gas Tragedy: What happened on 3 December 1984

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy is one of the world’s worst industrial disasters that struck Bhopal on the intervening night of December 2-3 in 1984.

An estimated half-a-million people were exposed to the methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal as a result of the disaster.

Accoridng to the Government report, about 150,000 people were disabled in this gas scandal while 22,000 people died due to the accident. Because of this, the Bhopal tragedy is the biggest accident in the industrial history of the whole world. There was only mist around, nothing was visible due to haze and people were not able to know which way to run, they were dying from suffocation all around. That morning a gas cloud formed by the leak in Union Carbide’s plant number ‘C’ was carried away with a gust of wind and people were falling asleep in the death.

About 40 tons of gas were leaked from Union Carbide’s factory that night. At the same time, the leak is reported that the poisonous methyl isocyanate gas in tank number 610 was mixed with water. Due to this chemical process, the pressure was created in the tank and the tank opened and the gas received from it killed thousands of people.

The worst affected by this leak were the people living in the slum near the factory, these people who were living and coming from far away villages in search of livelihood. Due to this leak, thousands of people not only slept to death in just three minutes, but millions of people were permanently disabled, which is still waiting for justice. Many stories of that night are remembered even today by people.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan today attends the 36th Bhopal Gas tragedy anniversary event in Bhopal and pays tribute to the victims by observing a 2-minute silence. (Source ANI).

He said, ” We should soon build a memorial for Bhopal Gas tragedy so the world can learn a lesson from the tragedy.”

Gas victim Pannalal Yadav says, Bhopal gas scandal maybe 36 years old for the world, but the pain of tragedy is still alive in my house. My grandson was born weak and has many problems. This story of grief and outrage is not of Pannalal alone, but hundreds of children are being born weak and sick from generation to generation in the settlements around JP Nagar.