Bhopal: Survivors of industrial accident make up over half of Covid-19 victims in Indian city

Coronavirus has provided fresh tragedy for the city devastated by a gas disaster, reports Stuti Mishra

A candlelight vigil in 2018 to remember the Bhopal gas disaster (AFP via Getty Images)

The survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster are six times more prone to Covid-19 infections and account for more than half of the total coronavirus deaths in the capital city of Madhya Pradesh in India, advocacy groups say.

Bhopal, a city of more than 2 million people, has recorded more than 500 deaths to date from the pandemic, and over 30,000 cases.

Analysis by an organisation representing gas disaster survivors found that of the 450 deaths up to mid-October, 254 involved people who were exposed to the 1984 accident.