Toxic chemicals kill eight in a Thai bank
Baku, March 14, AZERTAC
Smoke from the basement of a bank has triggered the automatic release of fire suppressing chemicals which have killed eight employees in Bangkok, according to BBC.
At least eight people have died and seven others were hospitalized after fire suppression chemicals were accidentally released at a Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) in Bangkok, local media says.
The accident at the SCB Head Office in Bangkok happened at 9.30pm local time on Sunday when smoke from the basement of the SCB's head office in the capital prompted the fire extinguishing system of the building to release the flame retardant, killing eight people on the spot when the chemicals "sucked all oxygen from the building", reports the Bangkok Post newspaper.
Upon arrival, firemen were forced to break into the bank building - which was locked with bank-grade security - in order to access the victims, whose bodies were found within 20 minutes.
The bank has issued a statement blaming the accident on "the negligence of the contractor hired to improve the fire protection of the building" and said the situation is now under control.
"The bank offers its condolences to those injured and killed. The case is under investigation by the police," said Siam Commercial Bank in a statement.
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