Mangaluru, July 12 : Two people have died and another is in critical condition following a toxic gas leak at the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) on Saturday in Karnataka's Mangaluru district.

The incident occurred in the Oil Movement Section (OMS) of the MRPL unit, which is located on the outskirts of Mangaluru in Suratkal.

The deceased have been identified as Deep Chandra Bharatiya and Bijli Prasad. Their colleague, Vinayak Mayageri, is in critical condition and has been admitted to a hospital.

According to preliminary information, the employees had gone to inspect a malfunction in the Oil Movement Section. The tank involved in the incident has been identified as FIBI7029 of the OMS (Oil Movement Services) division.

Deep Chandra Bharatiya and Bijli Prasad had climbed to the top of the tank for inspection when they suddenly fell ill. They were immediately rushed to a hospital in Mangaluru, but both were declared dead on arrival.

Another employee, Vinayak Mayageri, who attempted to rescue them, also collapsed after inhaling the toxic gas. He has been admitted to a private hospital in Mangaluru and is undergoing treatment.

The MRPL administration has formed a committee to investigate the incident. A high-level inquiry committee comprising group general managers has been constituted, according to sources.

In another incident in Karnataka in January, a worker died after inhaling poisonous gas at an industrial unit in Koppal district. Ten other workers also fell sick due to the leak.

The incident occurred between Ginigera and Alla Nagar villages. The deceased was identified as Maruthi Koragal, and the condition of one other worker was reported to be critical.

In May 2024, four members of a family in Mysuru's Yaraganahalli house had died due to the inhalation of a poisonous gas.

Kumaraswamy, a native of Chikkamagaluru, his wife Manjula and their daughters Archana and Swathi were found dead inside their house.

/IANS