In a tragic incident, more than 30 students were affected after being exposed to fumes emanating from a storage tank at JSW Energy's plant in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district on Thursday, police said. The incident occurred when fumes from the plant spread to nearby areas, impacting the health of several students, they added. Authorities are investigating the source and composition of the fumes to ascertain their potential health risks.
The students are from the Jaigad Vidya Mandir school, which is near the plant. Of the 250 students who were in the school, over 30 complained of watery eyes and irritation after exposure to fumes emanating during the cleaning process of the tank, police said. Some of them were taken to a nearby hospital, police added.
The fumes were from Ethyl mercaptan, which is a colourless, flammable, and highly odorous liquid that is used as an odorant for natural gas and as a starting material for plastics, insecticides, and antioxidants, a police official said.
(With inputs from PTI)
