VADODARA, Dec 2: Lying in the SSG hospital, they are trying hard to forget the ill-fated moment. For them it was a miracle, unlike their colleagues, who did not survive.For 19 workers of the Transpek industry, who bore the brunt of sulphur dioxide gas leakage in the wee hours on Wednesday, it was a life and death experience.With a burning sensation in the eyes and difficulty in breathing, they talked with pauses. Not many could speak. Some because of pain and some because of apparent fear of other company employees, who were ``looking'' after them. Takhat Singh Baria said, Mai kuch nahi bol sakta. Mujhe chhati me dard hai. Company ke admi se puchie (I have chest pain and cannot say anything. Ask the company employee).Raju Patel seemed a bit annoyed when approached and only said, ``Sorry madam. Bolana, petme dard hai (My stomach is paining).The bravest among them was Rajkumar Jaiswal, supervisor of sulphur dioxide plant, who before fainting, told six of his fellow plant workers about the leakage and also informed the higher-ups. ``By the time I was making the second phone call, the alarm had already gone off. It was then that I lost consciousness,'' he told Express Newsline.According to him, the explosion was so sudden that the workers could not reach for the airline masks and breathing apparatus, which were kept at four to five places in the site.When asked to describe the scene when the explosion occurred, he says he will come to know only when he visits the plant once again, for nothing could be made out in the smoke. And while he was being rushed to the hospital, back at home, his wife was expecting a call for him, thinking he might stay back for overtime. He says his wife was informed at around 8.30 am by the company staff.Another victim, Jasu Chauhan says he could have been spared had he not stayed back for the third shift (10 pm to 6 am). Niru, his wife, says she rushed to the company as soon as she heard a blast. Staying at Kalali crossing, a short distance away from the company, she says they (family members) took it for granted that the blast occurred in Transpek.While the condition of all the 19 undergoing treatment is reported to be stable, Professor of Medicine Dr Nivedita Mehta at the SSG Hospital, who examined the patients said nothing could be said right now. ``They need to be monitored for 48 hours to 72 hours,'' she said.She said a majority of them were suffering from conjunctivitis and that if the exposure was more it could even damage the cornea. This, however, would require time to know, she said, adding they had also consulted an opthalmologist.Dr Mehta said the patients were being administered eye drops and analgesics. One of the resident doctors said the patients were being given symptomatic treatment in order to reduce toxicity.While a majority of them have complained of respiratory problems, many have even vomited, he said.According to the diary, where the police noted the case, all were brought to the hospital in a serious condition at 2.45 a.m. Out of the 22, three died on the way to the hospital.
