Police said the leakage in gave off fumes which spread to nearby areas, causing panic. (Representational)
Several residents of Pune complained of nausea, headache and sore throat following a leakage of waste acid at the High Explosives Factory (HEF) in Khadki area of the Maharashtra town yesterday morning.
An official statement by the HEF said that the fire brigade of that section of the factory brought the situation under control quickly.
"A minor incident took place yesterday morning in the factory in one of the production sections at around 10.10 am during routine maintenance work. The incident was caused by minor leakage of waste acid," it said.
Police said the leakage gave off fumes which spread to nearby areas, causing panic.
Some residents in the area and workers at the neighbouring Ammunition Factory Kirkee complained of headache, sore throat and nausea.
Thirty-six persons including 14 women were admitted to the factory hospital, a police official said. All of them were discharged later.