On July 24, the leader of An Hai Ward, Hai Phong City said: Regarding the incident of the VICO laundry powder factory (located on 208 Street in the ward) being leaked with chemicals, the ward has directed the Head of the An Duong Residential Group to coordinate with the factory and households to discuss and agree on a solution. The company has now accepted responsibility for the settlement.
Mr. Pham Huy Nam (in lane 27, road 208, An Hai ward, Hai Phong city) said that his son Pham Duc Viet had just been hospitalized for tests after inhaling a leachate from Vico Laundry Factory.
According to Mr. Nam, at around 1:00 p.m. on July 20, his wife and two children were at home when they smelled the strong smell of chemicals flying from the Vico Laundry Factory. Immediately afterwards, the whole family had to close the door and use measures to ensure safety. However, his wife and two children still had chest tightness and difficulty breathing due to inhaling chemicals, in which Pham Duc Viet fainted and had to be taken to the hospital for examination and treatment.
According to the diagnostic results from Hai Phong International General Hospital, Pham Duc Viet was poisoned by sodium nitrit - an infection that needed to be caused and was hospitalized for treatment with the risk of respiratory failure, fever and fatigue.
Trees and flowers in Mr. Nam's garden and the surrounding houses were also greening well and were also severely burned.
Also affected by Mr. Nam's house, Ms. Do Thi Hong (residing in lane 27, road 208, An Hai ward) said: At around 1:00 p.m. on July 20, I was at home when I felt a burning, unpleasant smell, including breasts, so the whole family went into the room, closed the door and turned on the air conditioner.
Talking to Lao Dong, Mr. Tran Van An - Deputy Head of An Duong Residential Group, An Hai Ward - said: Immediately after receiving the notice of the incident, I and representatives of the local security team and local people's representatives had a working session with the factory.
In the minutes of the meeting, the company representative said: At 1:30 p.m., a truck driven by Mr. Vu Thanh Binh collided with a truck containing chemicals, causing the truck to have a hole, the chemicals leaked out, bloating, and spreading to the surrounding residential area, causing some elderly people and children to feel chest tightness and difficulty breathing.
The An Duong residential group management board, representatives of surrounding households, and representatives of enterprises agreed to move all chemicals in the warehouse to another location, away from people's homes before July 21 and not containing volatile, flammable chemicals in the warehouse adjacent to people's homes.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Hanh - Technical Director of Vico Laundry Factory - said: "That day, to prevent storm No. 3, the factory neatly collected raw materials to prevent the storm. During the cleaning process, workers accidentally stabbed a plate containing a chemical ( thick salt) that affected some surrounding households.
Immediately after that, we had a working session with the residential group and representatives of the households. I have also gone to each house to check and confirm that the thick salt water evasion makes people uncomfortable. The company has accepted responsibility and committed not to leave chemicals in warehouses adjacent to households' houses. The company has also visited and will be responsible for the affected people who need medical examination and treatment".
"The company is responsible for paying for medical examination and treatment, medicine as well as damage to trees and crops of households" - said a representative of Vico Company.
It is known that on the afternoon of July 24, representatives of the company, police, and residential groups will visit people's houses to check the condition of crop trees affected by chemicals.
