Most of COVID-19 deceased were gas tragedy victims: Bhopal NGO
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to screen the vulnerable section among the 1984 gas tragedy survivors who showed primary symptoms so that they can be isolated in view of the deaths of 17 people due to COVID-19 in Bhopal so far, a senior official said on Wednesday.
While an NGO has claimed that 15 of the 17 COVID-19 deceased were the survivors of the gas tragedy, the government said it was not in a position to confirm this claim at this stage.
"We have compiled the data of 15 out of the 17 deaths in the state capital due to COVID-19 and found that 15 were 1984 gas tragedy victims as per their health records," Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA) convener Rachna Dhingra told PTI.
The BGIA, which works for rehabilitation of the gas victims, has shared a list of the 15 deceased and the health complications among them due to inhalation of toxic plumes of Methyl Isocyanate that leaked from a plant on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984, killing thousands.
"As the gas victims are already affected, they are more vulnerable to COVID-19 and hence needed extra care and attention which the authorities failed to gauge while converting the dedicated Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC) into a state-level COVID-19 facility, and later reversed that status following the deaths of the gas affected persons," Dhingra claimed.
Meanwhile, the state government has decided to screen the vulnerable section among the survivors of the world's worst industrial disaster so that they can be isolated at a dedicated centre in the event of showing any primary symptoms of coronavirus infection.
"We cannot say at this stage that out of 17 how many were gas tragedy victims, but we have decided to start screening those persons who are more vulnerable and have developed initial symptoms of COVID-19, so that they can be isolated and quarantined," newly-appointed Bhopal Gas Relief department's director Ved Prakash told PTI.
Once identified, they would be isolated at Rasool Ahmed Pulmonary Medicine Centre, a facility of the Gas Relief department, he said.
"If they are found to be infected with coronavirus, they would be shifted to the dedicated COVID facility in Bhopal," said Ved Prakash.
Meanwhile, the BGIA claimed that of the 15 deaths due to COVID-19, ten were over 60 years of age, three were around 50 while the rest two were under 45 years of age.
The youngest victim among them was a 39-year-old who had history of hypertension and a 42-year-old cancer patient, it claimed. According to BGIA, all the 15 deceased had been exposed to the toxic gas and lived within four-km radius of the now-defunct plant.
"Majority of the victims had comorbidities like COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), diabetes, cancer, TB and hypertension etc, that made them more vulnerable to COVID-19," Dhingra claimed.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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