It’s been over three decades since the world's worst-ever industrial disaster, the Bhopal Gas tragedy, occurred at night between 2-3 December 1984. However, its memory still lingers in the minds of people. On its 35th anniversary, several took to Twitter to remember those who lost their lives and the hundreds of thousands who continue to suffer the long-term consequences of the disaster.
Many others have demanded justice for those who died in the tragedy due to negligence and their survivors.
Warren Anderson, the then-chairman of the Union Carbide plant where the deadly gas leak took pace, was charged for the homicide but fled to the US soon after the tragedy occurred. He died on 29 September 2014.
He was declared a fugitive by a Bhopal court in 1992 and a request for extradition was issued in 2003.
In the wee hours of 3 December, 1984, the dead bodies of humans and animals filled the streets after the Union Carbide plant accidentally released toxic gases into the air which drifted into nearby slums, media reports said.
Even decades after the accident, people living near the abandoned plant in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh continue to suffer from the hazardous waste and contamination of ground water. The entry to the plant, where the toxic waste remains dumped, is restricted, covered with black plastic sheets.
The estimate of the people affected by is still highly debatable. According to the Bhopal Memorial Hospital & Research Centre, which is supposed to provide free healthcare to the people affected by the accident, around 10,000 or more people died and about 500,000 more people suffered injuries. However, the government records counts only 5,295 deaths.