A 44-year-old employee of an ice plant in Navotas City where an ammonia leak occurred died following the incident while 76 others were rushed to nearby hospitals, Mayor Toby Tiangco said Wednesday.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) identified the fatality as Gilbert Tiangco, who died after a surge drum containing about 500 gallons of ammonia at T.P. Marcelo Ice Plant and Cold Storage in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South (NBBS) ruptured around 4 p.m. of Wednesday.
Tiangco told DZBB radio interview that 59 of the 76 hospitalized individuals were brought to Navotas City Hospital while 17, including six minors, went to Tondo General Hospital for medical assistance.
Three hours after the incident started, the mayor said in a Facebook post that the smell of ammonia in the area already subsided.
He added that the valve where the leak started was already sealed off.
"Tinatayang aabot ng 2-3 oras bago po humupa ang amoy sa lugar kaya nagpahanda na rin po tayo ng food packs sa ating CSWDO para sa mga apektadong residente (It will still take around two to three hours before the smell dissipate, so we have already prepared our food packs from the social welfare department to be given to affected residents)," he said in a Facebook post at around 7 p.m.
"Nananatili rin po ang ating first aid station sa area para sa mga nangangailangan ng dagliang tulong medikal (Our first aid station is also on standby for those who need medical assistance)," he added.
Read more: Hundreds scramble as ammonia leak reported in Navotas