Salem: At least ten persons including eight women have been admitted as in-patients at the Mohan Kumaramangalam government hospital in Salem late on Sunday night after they complained of symptoms like giddiness, nausea, eye irrigation and difficulty in breathing in the wake of suspected noxious smoke emanating from a chemical plant in Mettur near here.
Police said on Monday that the affected persons were rushed by an ambulance to the Salem hospital last night, even as several others were treated as outpatients and discharged.
In recent weeks, people from nearby villages of Mettur, Irattai Puliyamaram and Panangadu, complaining of ‘noxious fumes’ allegedly emanating from a unit making hydrogen peroxide in the plant, had complained to the Salem district authorities to impress upon the company to stop production until the issue was sorted out. For some time, the unit was shut down but commenced production again on Sunday, sources said.
