Bhopal gas tragedy: Toxic waste removed from Union carbide factory after 40 years

The deadly gas leak at the Union Carbide factory in central India killed thousands in 1984.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersToxic waste from Bhopal gas leak factory removed after 40 yearsGetty ImagesToxic waste has been moved from the Union Carbide plant 40 years after the disasterAuthorities in India have removed hundreds of tonnes of toxic waste from a chemical factory that witnessed one of the world's deadliest gas leaks 40 years ago.

Thousands of people died in the central city of Bhopal in December 1984 after breathing a poisonous gas leaked from the factory.

On Wednesday, around 337 tonnes of toxic waste was taken from the Union Carbide plant to an incinerator facility around 230km (143 miles) away after a court last month set a four-week deadline for it to be disposed of.

Officials say it will take between three and nine months to treat and destroy the waste but activists have raised concerns about potential damage to people's health at the new location.

Since the disaster, the toxic material had been lying in the mothballed factory, polluting groundwater in the surrounding areas.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgj6e1e2688o

---