Ex-Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson passes away

Anderson was wanted in India in connection with the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy which claimed nearly 4,000 lives

Former Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson, wanted in India in connection with the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy which claimed nearly  4,000 lives in one of the world’s most lethal industrial accidents, died in the US state of Florida. He was 92.

Anderson, a Brooklyn carpenter’s son who ascended to the top of the Union Carbide Corporation, died on September 29 at a nursing home in Vero Beach, Florida, but his death was not announced by his family. It was confirmed from public records, The New York Times reported.

The Indian government made multiple requests to extradite him, and officially labelled him a fugitive.

A judge also called him an “absconder”.

Anderson reached Bhopal four days after the accident, where he was immediately arrested. But after quickly getting bail, he never returned to face trial.

The Bhopal horror began around midnight on December 2, 1984, when a chemical reaction in a plant that made insecticides caused a leak of toxic gases that swept through the surrounding community.

The Madhya Pradesh government confirmed 3,787 deaths as a result. Unofficial estimates said the death toll had exceeded 10,000.

More than a half-million people were injured, with many dying from illnesses, including lung cancer, kidney failure and liver disease.

In 1989, Union Carbide paid $470 million to the Indian government to settle litigation stemming from the disaster.

“With the support of the US government, he escaped extradition. And he eluded subpoenas in civil cases by living quietly and migrating between his homes in Vero Beach, Greenwich, Connecticut, and Bridgehampton, New York,” The Times said.
THE TRAGIC CONNECTION

• Dec 2-3, 1984: Poisonous gas leaks from Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. In three days, over 3,000 people die, thousands suffer disabilities
   
• Dec 7, 1984: Union Carbide Chairman Warren Anderson among nine arrested during a visit to the factory. After being released on bail, he flees the country. Union Carbide named as accused in the criminal case charging culpable homicide. Anderson declared fugitive after he fails to appear in criminal proceedings in India
   
• 1985: India files claim for $3.3 billion from Union Carbide in a US court
   
• 1986: Union Carbide succeeds in persuading the court to send case back to Indian courts
   
• Feb 1989: The Indian government and Union Carbide strike an out-of-court settlement. Compensation amount brought down to $470 million
   
• Nov 1999: Several victims of the tragedy file class action suit against Union Carbide and Anderson in the US, charging Carbide with violating international human rights law, environmental law, and international criminal law.
   
• Feb 2001: Union Carbide & Dow chemicals merge to form the largest chemical company in the world.
   
• Jul  19, 2002: It is revealed the Indian government plans to drop charges against Anderson
   
• Aug 28, 2002: Charges of culpable homicide reaffirmed against Anderson in a Bhopal court. Court demands his immediate extradition
   
• Aug 29, 2002: A UK newspaper discovers Anderson living in a life of luxury in New York State, US. Despite being wanted by India and Interpol, US authorities make no effort to extradite Anderson, claiming they are unable to find him
   
• Sep 29, 2014: Anderson dies in Florida, US

Warren Anderson: Bhopal's tormentor