A minor died while 24 other residents were taken to two hospitals after an ammonia leak and fire occurred in a cold storage facility in Navotas City this Monday night.
The ambulance took the 16-year-old victim to the hospital, but he later died, according to a report by James Agustin in Unang Balita this Tuesday.
According to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) of Navotas, the authorities will still find out if the death of the minor was due to the said ammonia leak.
It was past eleven o’clock Monday night when its employees came out of the cold storage facility on M. Naval Street in Barangay NBBN after they smelled ammonia.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) immediately responded to close the valve and control the ammonia leak.
But after an hour, an explosion and a fire broke out.
The BFP raised the third alarm, meaning 15 fire trucks were required to respond.
BFP personnel have climbed onto adjacent buildings’ roofs to extinguish the fire.
The “fire out” was declared before two in the morning on Tuesday.
BFP personnel closed the valve where the ammonia was leaking at 1:42 a.m. of Tuesday morning.
One dead, 24 others taken to hospital after ammonia leak, fire in Navotas
The source of the ammonia leak was traced to the control room, where there are different types of machines.
“It was assessed na medyo strong ‘yung leak so we tried to manage it. Ang problema, ‘yung pressure du’n sa pipes where the ammonia sir [was] coming out, ‘yun ‘yung nahirapan kaming i-manage. Sumabog ‘yung malaking portion du’n sa kung saan nakabuga ang ammonia,” said Navotas Fire Marshal Fire Superintendent Jude Delos Reyes.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), 11 individuals were taken to Tondo Medical Hospital. Thirteen were taken to Navotas City Hospital. Those taken to the hospital experienced difficulty breathing, vomiting and loss of consciousness.
The DOH added that East Avenue Medical Center, through its Toxicology Referral and Training Center, has notified hospitals on how to treat patients.
The National Poison Management and Control Center of the Philippine General Hospital received 11 referral calls related to the incident.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.