At least two persons died while scores of others were hospitalized, five of them in critical condition, following an ammonia leak at an ice plant in Navotas City, Wednesday night.
City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) head Vonne Villanueva identified the victims as Gilbert Tiangco, 44, and Joselito Jazareno, 54, an electrician, both employees of T.P. Marcelo Ice Plant and Cold Storage where the ammonia leak occurred.
Tiangco was found unconscious inside the establishment Wednesday night and was declared dead on arrival at a hospital.
Jazareno’s body was only discovered on Thursday morning as the responders had difficulty checking the site due to foul smell on Wednesday evening.
“S’ya po ay nakita ngayong umaga, nakasiksik po sa isang gilid, na medyo malayo po, mga 20 metros po ang layo doon sa impact site,” Villanueva said over DZBB interview.
“Dahil malakas pa po ang amoy at ‘yung epekto ng kemikal sa tao, di agad na-search ng masinsin. Syempre inabot na rin po ng gabi,” he said.
On the other hand, Mayor Toby Tiangco said a total of 96 individuals were rushed to Navotas City Hospital, Tondo General Hospital and Philippine General Hospital (PGH) for medical assistance.
According to Villanueva, five of them who are at PGH “were reported to be still in critical condition.”
By 8 p.m. of Wednesday, Villanueva said about 3,000 affected residents were already allowed to return to their homes after the oxygen level in the area went to normal.
The ammonia leak occurred at T.P. Marcelo Ice Plant and Cold Storage in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South (NBBS) around 4 p.m. of Wednesday, sending hundreds of residents in chaos as they scrambled to leave their homes.
Ammonia, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection, is being used as refrigerant.
Tiangco in an ANC interview Thursday said the company, which has been operating for about 50 years already, is partly owned by his mother, who has 25 percent shares in the company “by virtue of inheritance.”
He assured the affected residents that they would get assistance from the company following the incident.
“That’s what I’m waiting for the Bureau of Fire (Protection). They were very busy last night so I haven’t received the report yet,” Tiangco said when asked if there was negligence committed by the company in terms of maintaining the safety of its employees.
Villanueva said that when he went to the ground zero, he saw a ruptured tank that allegedly caused the leak.
“I saw a big tank, it’s called surge tank and it can contain 500 gallons of ammonia, it was somehow ruptured. So the ammonia that it contained leaked out and caused the foul odor,” he said over CNN Philippines interview.
Tiangco encouraged the national government to lead the investigation to avoid questions on conflict of interest.
“If there are national government agencies, I welcome you po and encourage you to investigate so that the investigation is objective,” he said.
