Navotas ammonia leak downs 15

MANILA, Philippines — At least 15 residents were hospitalized following an ammonia leak in Navotas yesterday.

City officials closed down the Magsimpan Ice Plant and Cold Storage after it leaked toxic fumes before dawn yesterday, city disaster risk reduction and management officer Vonne Villanueva said in a dzXL interview.

A man with a heart condition died in the hospital, but it remains to be seen if it was due to the ammonia leak or a preexisting health condition, Villanueva added.

Residents living along North Bay Boulevard were rushed to the Navotas city hospital due to difficulty of breathing.

This was the third time the ice plant was involved in a gas leak, Irene Gamutin, a resident, said in a CNN Philippines interview.

The city hall will investigate if the ice plant complies with safety standards. Ammonia is used as a refrigerant.

In February 2021, two persons died in an ammonia leak at the T.P. Marcelo Ice Plant and Cold Storage in Barangay Northbay Boulevard South Proper, also in Navotas.

The ice plant is owned by the family of Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco’s mother. The plant remains closed until now, Villanueva said.