Leak detection
An active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer in the Kadechur–Badiyal industrial area of Yadgir district, Karnataka, in the early hours of Wednesday 5 August 2026.
The deceased – named by police as Katla Ganesh (25), Vikram Singh Gonda (30) and Sanjay Singh Gonda (29) – were working the night shift when the gas is believed to have escaped from a leaking pipeline during a manufacturing process.
Two further workers, Manchala Hemanth and Manchala Shivakumar, were admitted to the Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment.
Yadgir Superintendent of Police Prithvik Shankar said a chemical ‘likely to be sulphur dioxide' had leaked, adding that a case had been registered against the company's management at Saidapur police station.
National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and forensic teams were deployed to the site; officials said a multi-gas detector later confirmed no active leak remained.
The exact substance and cause have not been forensically confirmed.
District authorities ordered the plant sealed pending investigation.
Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge called for a detailed inquiry and said the company had assured the government it would pay ₹20 lakh in compensation to each of the three families, in addition to benefits due under the Employees' State Insurance Corporation scheme and the Factories Act.
Local elected representatives and community groups have separately raised concerns about pollution and regulatory oversight in the surrounding industrial area, calling for safety audits.
The incident renews scrutiny of gas detection and fenceline monitoring provision at smaller industrial and laboratory sites, an area regulators elsewhere in Asia have moved to tighten in recent months.
Forensic and labour department findings on the exact cause, ventilation standards and any safety lapses at the site are awaited.
IET 36.3 May
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