28 treated for methane poisoning in Pasir Gudang after chemical spill

JOHOR BAHRU: A methane leak near two schools in Pasir Gudang caused a total of 28 people to fall ill, with at least eight of them in critical condition, Johor Health, Environment and Agriculture Committee chairmain Sahruddin Jamal said on Thursday (Mar 7).

Those affected comprise students and canteen workers, aged between seven and 40, from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Pasir Putih and Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Pasir Putih.

Dr Sahruddin said 19 victims are being treated in Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI). Two are in Hospital Penawar and seven in the Pasir Gudang Public Clinic.

“Of the number at HSI, eight are in critical condition and in the Red Zone with the rest in the Yellow Zone,” he said.

He said a tanker is believed to have dumped chemical waste in Sungai Kim Kim in Johor on Wednesday morning. The Environment Department and the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM) are now investigating, he added.

“The situation is under control and the smell of gas is less, yet anyone in the area showing symptoms of a gas leak, like nausea and throat irritation, must go to a hospital as quickly as possible.”
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Earlier in the day, JBPM deputy chief Lokman Hakim Sulaiman said the department was alerted to a gas leak and chemical spill at about 5.15am.

A student had fainted and five more started vomiting after breathing in methane on Thursday morning.

“After an investigation detected methane in the atmosphere, we did an evacuation of anyone within a 500m radius of the gas leak involving some 1,400 students and teachers from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Pasir Putih and Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Pasir Putih,” said the deputy chief.

Source: CNA