Pune: Several residents of Saibabanagar woke up to a nauseating stench in the early hours of Thursday and reported respiratory distress, following poly aluminium chloride gas leakage from an unattended tank at an open plot near Aai Mata Mandir, close to Gangadham Chowk.As many as 22 people, including six children, were admitted to Sassoon General Hospital. Four others were admitted to another health hub in Dhankawdi.All the patients admitted to hospitals reported respiratory distress after inhaling toxic fumes. Gangadham fire station officer Sunil Naiknaware, who also had to be hospitalised, said, “Workers in nearby godowns were exposed to the gas. They reported a pungent smell experienced near swimming pools.”A source said 22 ailing people were sent to the Sassoon hospital in ‘108′ ambulances. The hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr Yallapa Jadhav, said, “These patients were brought to our hospital at 2.40am. They were all admitted by 3.11am, after completing all formalities. Of these, 16 are adults, including a 78-year-old man. All of them were admitted to the respiratory diseases department. The six children, including one 11-month-old, were admitted to the pediatrics ward.”Dr Rakhi Gosawi, associate professor, respiratory diseases department, Sassoon General Hospital, said, “All of them reported nausea, dry bouts of cough, throat pain, irritation in eyes and difficulty in breathing. Only one of the patients, a firefighter, required oxygen for breathing. CT scan and X-ray were performed on other patients. We wanted to keep them under observation for about 24 hours but the patients are insisting on discharge. We have prescribed them with five days of antibiotics and inhalers.”Dr Jadhav said, “As of Thursday evening, all patients were stable. Many of them have requested for DAMA (discharged against medical advice). So, we will discharge them soon.”
