I decided to take a look into a few articles that came out on the day after the incident has happened and tried to put pieces of this event together.
On December 3, 1984 about 11:30 P.M., workers in the methyl isocyanate structure of the Bhopal plant, about 100 feet from the control room, detected a leak. Their eyes started to water. V. N. Singh, an operator, saw a drip of liquid about 50 feet off the ground, and some yellowish-white gas in the same place. He then went to the control room about 11:45 P.M. and told Mr. Qureshi (the plant’s supervisor for about 2 years) of a methyl isocyanate leak. But Mr. Qureshi said he would see the leak after tea. According to the employees on duty, no one took an initiative to investigate the leak until after tea ended. The leak of methyl isocyanate from one of the plant’s three underground tanks started shortly after midnight. The tank contained 45 tons of methyl isocyanate when a pressure build-up led to the rupture of a valve. Methyl isocyanate is stored in liquid form but erupts into gas at 21 degrees centigrade. “Mr Kumaraswamy, regional manager of Union Carbide in New Delhi, said any escaping gas would normally be neutralised by a caustic soda scrubber but that yesterday pressure apparently rose too fast for the safety equipment to be activated in time to prevent a large volume from escaping.” Doctors estimate that 4,000 people were badly affected by the gas and another 10,000 victims were given emergency treatment. Five managers at the plant have been detained. A judicial inquiry is to be held. Union Carbide described the accident as “unprecedented.”
“At Least 400 People in the Central Indian City of Bhopal Have Died after a Leak of Poisonous Gas from the Union Carbide Pesticides Factory.” Factiva. Textline Multiple Source Collection (1980-1994), 04 Dec. 1984. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://global.factiva.com/aa/?ref=tmsc000020011207dgc402s72>.
Diamond, Stuart. “THE BHOPAL DISASTER: HOW IT HAPPENED.” Editorial. New York Times 28 Jan. 1985: 1+. Factiva. 28 Jan. 1985. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://global.factiva.com/aa/?ref=NYTF000020080612dh1s000b5>.
Sharma, K. K. “Financial Times.” Editorial. Factory Gas Leak Kills More than 350 in India 04 Dec. 1984: 1+. Factiva. 4 Dec. 1984. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://global.factiva.com/aa/?ref=FTFT000020070505dgc4031x3>.
