In a shocking incident in Aligarh, about one hundred of workers, mostly women, fell ill after inhaling ammonia gas that leaked in a meat factory on Thursday morning.

The workers were rushed to a nearby hospital after they complained of breathing difficulties following leakage of ammonia gas.

DIG Range Aligarh Deepak Kumar said, “Around 60 female workers were admitted to hospital and all of them are stable currently.”

The incident took place at the Al-Dua meat factory that falls under the jurisdiction of Roravar police station. Several women are engaged in the factory for packaging-related work.

Sources, however, maintained that about 100 workers were rushed to different hospitals of Aligarh after they started fainting following ammonia gas leakage.

“Information was received about an ammonia gas leak in a meat factory in the Roravar area where women workers are engaged in packaging work. Around 60 workers were admitted to a medical college hospital after they complained of breathing difficulties. Doctors confirmed that everyone is stable," DIG Range Aligarh Deepak Kumar said.

The doctors said that everyone who was in the factory was brought to the medical college hospital and they are being treated. “Everyone is out of danger and there is nothing to worry about as of now,” they said.

The fire brigade personnel were also summoned to avert any eventuality.

The factory is reportedly owned by one Haji Zaheer and the local police so far managed to pick up one of the managers to grill him regarding the cause of the gas leakage.

It may be mentioned that in a similar incident in 2020, two senior officials working at the Phulpur plant of Indian Farmers’ Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) in Prayagraj died while 13 others fell sick following a gas leak. The PF-1 unit of the IFFCO plant located around 25 km from Sangam city in the trans-Ganga area of Prayagraj had developed an issue and ammonia gas began to leak. The leakage was later stopped by experts at the plant.