92 in India taken to hospital after chlorine leak

At least 92 people were taken ill, eight of them critically, after they inhaled chlorine which leaked from a cylinder in an industrial part of India's business capital, Mumbai, officials said today.

Vijay Kumar Gawit, the health minister of Maharashtra state, said the leak happened just before dawn in the Sewri area of Mumbai, where a busy port shares space with residential buildings and a college.

PP Lahane, the head of JJ Hospital, where those affected were treated, said most people who inhaled the gas suffered burning eyes and respiratory problems.

Of the 92 affected, 14 were released from hospital after treatment.

Buildings in the area were temporarily evacuated as a precautionary measure.