COLOMBO, Oct 10: Nine Sri Lankan army personnel were hospitalized after inhaling a poisonous gas. According to a military spokesman, the incident occurred on Sunday night when a gas cylinder lying idle at a government office in the Chilaw region leaked and started releasing a cloud of smoke.
Military personnel said that although steps were taken to cover the cylinder which was believed to have contained the toxic gas, the soldiers who arrived at the office had inhaled it and experienced breathing difficulties.
However none of the hospitalized soldiers were in critical condition, military sources said.
