This Happened—December 3: Bhopal, Industrial Horror In India
Considered the world’s worst industrial incident in modern times, the Bhopal gas tragedy was a chemical accident at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
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What caused the Bhopal Disaster?
A leak of 45 tons of the gas methyl isocyanate escaped from the pesticide plant, wafting into the neighboring residential area and killing people there. Investigations later proved that operating and safety procedures at the time had been insufficient and the plant had been severely understaffed.
How many deaths were caused by the Bhopal Disaster?
The final Bhopal death toll was somewhere between 15,000 to 20,000 people. Another half a million survivors suffered respiratory problems, eye irritation or blindness, and other sickness due to exposure to the gas. The exact number of those who died prematurely after exposure is incalculable. As compensation, most were given just a few hundred dollars.
