Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Remembering the world’s worst industrial disaster

On the night of December 2-3, the world’s worst industrial disaster hit the city oh Bhopal, India. The Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal developed a leak. Over 5,00,000 people were exposed to highly toxic Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas over the course of the night. Thousands died immediately after exposure to the gas in their sleep, while thousands more suffered slow deaths over the next few weeks and years. The initial effects of exposure were coughing, severe eye irritation and a feeling of suffocation, burning in the respiratory tract, blepharospasm, breathlessness, stomach pains and vomiting. The after effects of the tragedy are still ongoing, with subsequent generations having health issues and still awaiting justice.