23 workers poisoned with caustic gas vapor hospitalized in Rostov region

Over 20 workers got poisoned with caustic gas vapor while pressing a metallic cask at a ground of "Lomprom" public corporation in the territory of Rostov electro-metallurgical plant (REMP) in the town of Shakhti, Press service of the district Department of preventing and elimination of emergency situations reported. 

It should be reminded that earlier, a source in law enforcement bodies of the town reported four poisoned persons. The incident took place at about 22:00 Moscow time, April, 24, at a metal receiving point. 

According to the Department of preventing and elimination of emergency situations in Rostov region, during sorting scrap metal a cask supposedly containing remainder of chlorine which had got under a press and sprung a leak was found. 

The personnel working at the ground got an irritation of respiratory tracts of different extent of gravity. All in all 23 persons were hospitalized, ten of them in a state of middle gravity. The decision of their leaving hospital will be taken after a medical examiners' session today, RIA "Novosti" reports.

All the injured people are currently in the therapeutics unit of the emergency hospital named after V.I.Lenin, the town of Shakhti, "Interfax reports. 

An investigation of the incident has started, 161.ru informs.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported mass poisoning with chlorine vapor in Kayakent district of Dagestan in May, 2010. There were three children and members of medical emergency team who arrived upon a call among those injured. In 2005 a thirty-year-old woman got poisoned during repairs at a school building in Rostov-on-Don, she was hospitalized.