Nagpur, Aug. 24 -- More than 40 locals fell ill following a chlorine gas leak at a water treatment plant in the Godhni area of Nagpur in the early hours of Monday, prompting the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to launch an immediate rescue operation.

The incident took place around 1 AM at the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran's Godhni Municipal Council Water Treatment Plant when chlorine gas began leaking from a 900-kg capacity cylinder. As the gas spread rapidly across nearby residential localities, widespread panic gripped the area, with several residents developing cough and breathing difficulties.

Local police personnel, along with administrative officials, swiftly alerted residents living in the immediate vicinity and advised ...