I smell a rat, says Mumbai

A gas leak in north-west Mumbai left residents of Shivaji Park and Wadala in a panic. Fire brigade clueless about the source of leakage

A gas leak in north-west Mumbai left residents of Shivaji Park and Wadala in a panic. Fire brigade clueless about the source of leakage

Au00a0suspected gas leakage in the north-west part of the city led residents of Shivaji Park, Antop Hill and Wadala to panic on Saturday morning. While no casualties were reported, there was a definite scare as the fire brigade tried to unsuccessfully find the source of the gas leakage.

Firefighters deployed near Don Bosco, Wadala. Pic/ Shadab Khan

Sanjay Jumaani, a resident of Khar who travels to Shivaji Park for his daily morning walk, said when his group of friends reached the ground, they found it difficult to breathe. "There was a strong smell of gas. Several policemen were busy at the Shivaji Park grounds practicing for the Republic Day parade. We enquired about the smell, but no one seemed to have a clue," he said.

Minal Bhagwati, a Dadar resident, however, said she didn't notice the smell since her windows were shut, and the air conditioners were on. "I open the windows of my flat only after 9 am."

Sanjay Kurhade, Assistant BMC Commissioner, F North, said, "We had asked the school to let the students go home since the stench was unbearable. Our environment department is still trying to probe the reason behind the gas leakage. We do not know where and how it happened."

When contacted, a fire brigade official said, "We tried our best to locate the source of the gas leakage but couldn't find anything."

Meanwhile, chain SMSes about a possible ammonia gas leakage added to the panic.