30th anniversary of Bhopal gas disaster

Protesters demonstrate on the anniversary of the world’s deadliest industrial disaster - a cyanide gas leak at a factory in Bhopal, India on the night of December 2, 1984. The government recorded 5,295 deaths, though thousands more are estimated. (AFP/Getty Images)

Chicago Tribune

Dec. 3, 2014 9:24 AM PT

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In the early hours of Dec. 3, 1984, around 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas accidentally leaked from a pesticide factory owned by Union Carbide Corp. and was carried by the wind into the surrounding slums in Bhopal, India. The government recorded 5,295 deaths. Activists estimate 25,000 deaths from illnesses since the leak.

Bhopal gas disaster victim Pujarbai, who has lost her eyesight, attends a protest rally in Bhopal. (Indranil Mukherjee / AFP/Getty)

Plants grow over a staircase at the abandoned former Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal. (Danish Siddiqui / Reuters)

A network of pipes rust at the abandoned former Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal. (Danish Siddiqui / Reuters)

Bhopal gas disaster survivors shout slogans as they burn an effigy during a protest rally in Bhopal. (Indranil Mukherjee / AFP/Getty)

Survivors and relatives of Bhopal gas disaster victims during a protest on the 30th anniversary of the tragedy in Bhopal. (Sanjeev Gupta / EPA)

A reactor tank stands among the ruins of the abandoned former Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal. (Danish Siddiqui / Reuters)

Members of the Bengaluru Solidarity Group hold placards during a candlelight vigil to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster in Bangalore, India. (Jagadeesh Nv / EPA)

Residents stand alongside effigies symbolizing the relationship between politicians and multi-national companies during a march to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster. (Indranil Mukherjee / AFP/Getty)