As the toxic gas billowed out, residents in the vicinity reported symptoms like coughing, sore throat and breathing difficulties. The factory workers were the first ones to be affected. By the time the leak was sealed after nine hours, four workers had died from excessive MMA inhalation and exposure.

Over 1,000 locals and factory employees suffered health issues to varying degrees due to inhaling the poisonous fumes. Out of these, 30 people needed hospitalization, some in critical condition.

The massive chemical spill terrified residents and highlighted grave safety lapses at the industrial site. It was later revealed that the faulty tank, which was over 30 years old, lacked proper maintenance and went unmonitored.

There were also no gas detectors or emergency response mechanisms in place to deal with such a disaster. The lax oversight turned a preventable industrial accident into South Korea’s worst chemical disaster in recent history.

South Korea’s Toxic Chemical Leak -https://www.coherentmi.com/blog/south-koreas-toxic-chemical-leak-tragedy-and-its-aftermath-89