At least 27 people, including several schoolchildren, were rushed to hospital or treated by ambulance staff on Thursday afternoon after another chlorine gas leak at Umbogintwini, south of Durban.
The leak, which was reported 30km away in Glenwood, emanated from the same factory responsible for the gassing of more than 100 schoolchildren in Isipingo four months ago.
It also coincided with an invitation to residents of south Durban to gather at public meetings in Merebank, Austerville and the Bluff next week to protest about the health and air pollution problems highlighted in The Mercury this week.
The latest gas leak from Sasol Polymers (formerly Polifin) happened just after noon and affected several people close to the factory as well as residents and children in Lotus Park, Isipingo, about 2,5km away.
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Kim Fraser, general manager of the company's chemical division, said the cause of the leak was not clear, although it seemed to have come from a loading area where chlorine cylinders are filled for water-purification purposes.
Fraser apologised for the incident and said his company would pay for all medical costs.
At Strelitzia Secondary School, at least four pupils - Shantal Isaac, Romano Govender, Sifanile Mabida and Fiona Abdul - were affected, said headmaster Nanda Nair.
Orissa Primary School head Anand Attwarie said several children complained of chest pains or sore throats, and one child, 12-year-old Siyanda Gambushe, had gone into convulsions.
A spokesperson for Kingsway Hospital at Amanzimtoti confirmed that 25 people were treated at the hospital and four were expected to remain overnight for observation.
On May 5, nearly 120 children or teachers from Strelitzia Secondary School were affected or given medical treatment after a similar leak from the Sasol Polymers plant.
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