In this photo taken on May 7, 2020, a man helps a fainted young girl after a gas leak incident at an LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam, southern India. (PHOTO / AFP)
Eleven people died and nine were hospitalized after a gas leak in Ludhiana in the northern Indian state of Punjab, a state lawmaker said on Sunday.
A team from the National Disaster Response Force was at the site along with a team of experts to determine the cause and source of the leak, said Rajinder Pal Kaur Chhina, a member of legislative assembly in Ludhiana.
Police officials were seen patrolling wearing masks and asking locals to keep out of a cordoned area
Police officials were seen patrolling wearing masks and asking locals to keep out of a cordoned area, according to ANI news agency's video feed on Twitter.
"The incident happened near a milk shop and a doctor's clinic although we cannot say for sure where the leak began," Chhina told Reuters by phone.
"People who came to buy milk in the morning, fell unconscious outside," she said.
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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tweeted the leak was from a factory, without providing further details.
Three bodies had "turned blue," local resident Anjan Kumar said in ANI's video feed on Twitter.