IPOH: Panic struck villagers of Kampung Bukit Merah in Menglembu today when an ammonia gas leak occurred at a nearby factory.
Village head Woong Tong Wan said he first thought a traffic accident had occurred when he heard a loud bang coming from the factory about 10am.
However, he was shocked when a villager told him that there was an ammonia leak at the factory, when a cylinder containing the hazardous gas fell on the ground.
"The villager said that the ammonia gas had also spread to the village and asked me to inform the authorities," he said when met at the village here today.
Woong said he immediately rushed to the factory and was shocked to see many of its workers waiting outside the premises wearing masks.
"One of them told me that the ammonia came from a gas cylinder which had fallen on the ground.
"I immediately lodged a police report and called the Department of Environment," he said.
Woong claimed that the leaves on several trees in the area had also turned yellow due to the toxic gas, which has an overpowering smell.
Ammonia is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent smell. Although common in nature and in wide use, it is both caustic and hazardous in its concentrated form and is classified as an extremely hazardous substance.
A state Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said they first received a distress call at 12.03pm but did not send its team when the factory management claimed that the situation was under control.
However, he said a team was dispatched to the scene when the factory confirmed that they could no longer handle the worsening situation.
Meanwhile, attempts by reporters to go near the factory proved futile when they were ordered to leave the area.
State Health Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon is scheduled to hold a press conference after visiting the factory at 3pm today.