Breathless at daybreak

“People kept gasping for breath,and some of my co-workers started vomiting. I had to carry a friend despite feeling dizzy myself,” Mandal added.

Mandal and some 30-40 other workers ran to the Sewri police station for help. “A crowd of workers came and said others were stuck. I called the Port Trust fire authorities and rushed to the spot,” said constable BN Jadhav. After helping fire officials for an hour,he began struggling to breathe and was admitted to Balaji Hospital.

Balsiram Domre,50,a section officer with port’s fire department,was leading his team close to the leak spot. The gas hit him while he was in an ambulance,waiting for his colleagues to come out. “All of a sudden my eyes started watering,and I felt a severe pain in the chest. After a while I could not take it anymore,so I got out and ran into the open for fresh air,” he said. All 12 in his team had to be rushed to the Bombay Port Trust Hospital.

At the Indian Maritime University’s three hostels,many of the 600-odd students were awake and studying for the ongoing second officer exams,or just preparing to sleep. This helped them react early.

“Around 3.15 am,the smell began to waft into our rooms and our eyes began to burn. Within minutes,everyone started getting breathless and dizzy. The warden and other students began yelling about a gas leak and all of us rushed out,” said Ankit Puri,a naval officer from Himachal Pradesh.

The hostels house officers appearing for promotional exams from the LBS College of Advanced Maritime Studies and Research,trainees from the Maritime Engineering and Research Institute (MERI),and the families of some officers.

Signal instructor and warden M H Singh,and MERI hostel warden Santosh Kumar said they began evacuation as soon as they smelt the gas. “Because of breathlessness and because we decided not to use the lift,as safety protocol suggests,it was tiring,” said Kumar.

The exam has been postponed,the college closed till further notice.