Monday, August 18, 2008

20 sent to hospital over gas leak in Singapore mall

Twenty people complaining of breathing difficulties were sent to hospital after an unknown gas was released in a Singapore shopping center on Monday afternoon, local media reported.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was notified about the leak at Golden Landmark Shopping Complex in central Singapore at 4.11pm local time (0811GMT), local TV channel NewsAsia reported.

The source of the gas is unknown. Also unknown is whether the leak was deliberate or an accident. Police are investigating the case.

The report said a man, one of the 20 people who were sent to the Singapore General Hospital, was taken into police custody, but it was not known what role the man had in the incident.

SCDF's Colonel Eric Yap was quoted as saying, "About 40 people attended to the incident. When we arrived, we did a full detection test of the premises. What we discovered was there is no residual contaminants in the premises, and we further confirmed this with a very precise testing of each of the locations."

SCDF also confirmed that the affected area was confined to a staircase lobby and the estimated 10-meter radius around it, said the report.

Singapore has tightened its security recently after the escape of the Singapore leader of an terror group the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) from a detention center on February 27.

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