The Bhopal Gas tragedy was the outcome of the worst industrial mishap of the worldđ.
It occurred in Bhopal at a pesticide plantđ of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) which is now known as Dow Chemicals.
How did it happen?
On the intervening night of Dec. 2nd and 3rd 1984đ, about 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC), an extremely toxic gas leakedđ from the UCCâs plant.
Early in the next morning, a breeze carried the poisonous gas to the rest of the cityđ and the surrounding towns killing people, most of whom were in their sleepđ.
Most of those who managed to survive suffered dizziness, breathlessnessđŁ, and skin irritation ; some reported sudden blindness.
The Death and injury toll
As per official records, the Bhopal gas tragedy killed 3,800 peopleđąÂ but the realistic figure is close to 15,000đ±.
In all, more than five lakh people were affected with about four thousand suffering severe and permanently disabling injuriesâż.
Even to this day, thousands of survivorsđ„ and their descendantsđ¶đ» are suffering from respiratory diseases and from damage to internal organs and immune systems.
The long legal fight
In the aftermath of the tragedy, civil and criminal cases were filed in the courtsđ of Bhopal and the U.S against UCC and Warren Anderson, the companyâs CEO at the time of the disaster.
But the judicial process dragged onđ€Šđ»ââ for many years without any outcome.
Anderson managed to remain out of lawâs pursuit and died of old ageđŽđ» in 2014 in the U.S.A.
The Compensation: too little, too late
In 1998, Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 millionđ°Â to settle the litigation process.
However, it is an accepted fact that very little money in actual reached the victimsđ€·ââ.
The fight goes on
Survivors along with various organisations fightingâ on their behalf continue to seek adequate compensation and proper medical care.
Environmentalistsđ have also been demanding cleaning of the groundwater and soil which became contaminatedâ  after the incident.
