Chittagong, Bangladesh—A major ammonia leak occurred at the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corp. (BCIC) DAP Fertilizer Co. facility here the night of Aug. 22, with local reports of over 200 people being impacted. Although local officials reported that some 52 were admitted to a local hospital, no deaths or serious injuries were reported. A huge fish kill was reported to local waterways. BCIC Chairman Mohammad Iqbal told reporters that the concentration of ammonia in the air was recorded at 600 ppm within 140 meters of the place of occurrence at 3:00 a.m. Aug. 23, while the standard (tolerable) amount was 25 ppm. However, he said the concentration was down to 20 ppm by 9:00 a.m. A technical team was formed to investigate the incident. According to Amal Kanti Barua, the factory managing director, there were three ammonia tanks at the factory, with a large tank at 5,000 mt and two smaller tanks with 500 mt capacity. One of the smaller tanks, which contained approximately 250 mt, leaked its contents. The company denied reports of an explosion. The factory was closed during the accident.
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