3 IFFCO workers fall unconscious

PARADIP:  Three IFFCO employees fell unconscious while unloading ammonia gas tank at the dock, on Tuesday. They have been admitted to Paradip Port Hospital.Sources said some crew members inadvertently handled the gas tank of the ship carrying 13,000 metric tonnes (MT) of ammonia gas meant for the  plant. The employees who came in contact with the gas fell unconscious.  The unloading of gas through a pipeline to the plant had been completed by then.Condition of the three, identified as Deepak Kumar Chugle, Ramesh Chandra Jena and an ambulance driver of IFFCO, Subash Chandra Das, is stated to be stable.Meanwhile, PPT authorities have detained the ship and are investigating whether the men were trained to handle hazardous material. IFFCO Executive Director M R Patel admitted to the incident and said the it occurred when the ship’s gas hold was operated by mistake.