On this day, December 3, in the year 1984, a gas leak in the Indian city of Bhopal turned out to be one of the worst disasters to ever happen in the country after it killed thousands of people. The infamous ‘Bhopal Gas Tragedy’ relates to an incident of leak of Methyl isocyanate from Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal.
The deadly gas release started from the night of December 2-3. The incident led to the evacuation of numerous people from the city, as the deadly gas leak affected nearby areas. Till the year 2010, the disaster was considered to be the worst disaster to ever happen in the world.
Although the death toll varies in various reports, the government of Madhya Padesh reported the total number of deaths in the incident as 3,787. The incident also caused 5,58,125 injuries, including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries.
The gas plant in Bhopal was majorly owned by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC). Civil and criminal cases were submitted in Bhopal district court, and eight persons were sentenced to two years jail term with fine for causing death due to negligence. The exact cause of the gas leak still remains under debate.
