Scare in city over 'chemicals'

A chemical spill in the heart of the city triggered a scare after some residents in the affected area felt sick and experienced burning sensation and irritation in their eyes.

The viscous fluid which also left a bad odour as it burnt making some people become breathless was found in seven barrels containing methyl abandoned at an open space adjacent to a railway track at Srirampuram today.

The police have seized the barrels. Following complaints from residents of the area that many of them were experiencing burning and irritation in the eyes and also could smell a foul odour, police began a search of the area to find out the cause.

A case has been booked under the Public Nuisance Act, police said, adding no one has been arrested. The smell from the chemical pervaded the areas surrounding the railway track through the night. Besides hundreds of slum-dwellers, around 50,000 people lived in a five-km radius.