• A boy who was born with a mental disability looks out of a window at a rehabilitation centre supported by Bhopal Medical Appeal for children who were born with mental and physical disabilities in Bhopal.
    A boy who was born with a mental disability looks out of a window at a rehabilitation centre supported by Bhopal Medical Appeal for children who were born with mental and physical disabilities in Bhopal.
  • Fifty-five-year-old Subna Bi, center, poses for a picture outside her house next to the abandoned former Union Carbide Corp pesticide plant in Bhopal.
    Fifty-five-year-old Subna Bi, center, poses for a picture outside her house next to the abandoned former Union Carbide Corp pesticide plant in Bhopal.
  • A combination picture shows Aamna (R) with her husband Munawar Ali in an undated family photograph, top, and, bottom, Aamna alone in Bhopal.
    A combination picture shows Aamna (R) with her husband Munawar Ali in an undated family photograph, top, and, bottom, Aamna alone in Bhopal.
  • Five-year-old Saagar, who suffers from mental and physical disabilities is held by his mother Komal, as she poses for a picture at their house in a slum in Bhopal.
    Five-year-old Saagar, who suffers from mental and physical disabilities is held by his mother Komal, as she poses for a picture at their house in a slum in Bhopal.
  • A combination picture shows Zubeida, right, with her husband Salim Rehman in an undated family photograph, top, and, bottom, Zubeida Bi alone in Bhopal. Bi said that Rehman died as a result of gas poisoning after the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
    A combination picture shows Zubeida, right, with her husband Salim Rehman in an undated family photograph, top, and, bottom, Zubeida Bi alone in Bhopal. Bi said that Rehman died as a result of gas poisoning after the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
  • A boy receives treatment at a rehabilitation centre supported by Bhopal Medical Appeal for children who were born with mental and physical disabilities in Bhopal.
    A boy receives treatment at a rehabilitation centre supported by Bhopal Medical Appeal for children who were born with mental and physical disabilities in Bhopal.
  • In a combination picture Lata Bai, top right, is seen with her husband Ashok Badgujjar and their four sons in an undated family photograph, top, and, bottom, Lata Bai, top right, is seen with her four sons in Bhopal November 12, 2014. Bai said that Badgujjar died as a result of gas poisoning after the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
    In a combination picture Lata Bai, top right, is seen with her husband Ashok Badgujjar and their four sons in an undated family photograph, top, and, bottom, Lata Bai, top right, is seen with her four sons in Bhopal November 12, 2014. Bai said that Badgujjar died as a result of gas poisoning after the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
  • Three-year-old Abdul, who suffers from mental and physical disabilities plays with his mother Rukhsana at their house in Bhopal.
    Three-year-old Abdul, who suffers from mental and physical disabilities plays with his mother Rukhsana at their house in Bhopal.
  • A combination picture shows Bhoori Bi (R) with her daughter Chandni in an undated family photograph, top, and, bottom, Bhoori Bi alone in Bhopal. Bi said that Chandni died as a result of gas poisoning after the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
    A combination picture shows Bhoori Bi (R) with her daughter Chandni in an undated family photograph, top, and, bottom, Bhoori Bi alone in Bhopal. Bi said that Chandni died as a result of gas poisoning after the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
  • Thick dust covers chemical bottles in a laboratory at the abandoned former Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal.
    Thick dust covers chemical bottles in a laboratory at the abandoned former Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal.
  • A combination picture shows Ram Chandra. left, with his wife Prema in an undated family photograph, top, and, bottom, Ram Chandra alone in Bhopal.
    A combination picture shows Ram Chandra. left, with his wife Prema in an undated family photograph, top, and, bottom, Ram Chandra alone in Bhopal.
  • A sticker is seen next to a panel in the control room of the abandoned former Union Carbide Corp pesticide plant in Bhopal.
    A sticker is seen next to a panel in the control room of the abandoned former Union Carbide Corp pesticide plant in Bhopal.
  • Sixty-four-year-old Zafar Ahmed, receives treatment at a clinic supported by Bhopal Medical Appeal in Bhopal.
    Sixty-four-year-old Zafar Ahmed, receives treatment at a clinic supported by Bhopal Medical Appeal in Bhopal.
  • A panel displays pictures of residents who died in the 1984 Bhopal disaster at the forensic department of a hospital in Bhopal.
    A panel displays pictures of residents who died in the 1984 Bhopal disaster at the forensic department of a hospital in Bhopal.
  • Eight-year-old Abhi, who suffers from mental and physical disabilities, plays outside his house at a slum in Bhopal.
    Eight-year-old Abhi, who suffers from mental and physical disabilities, plays outside his house at a slum in Bhopal.
  • The sun sets behind the abandoned former Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal.
    The sun sets behind the abandoned former Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal.

Inside India: Bhopal - 30 Years On

Robert Mickelson

December 04, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

On the night of December 2, 1984, the factory owned by the U.S. multinational Union Carbide Corporation accidentally leaked cyanide gas into the air, killing thousands of largely poor Indians in the central city of Bhopal. Thirty years on, the toxic legacy of this factory lives on, say human rights groups, as thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste remains buried underground.

Photos by Danish Siddiqui / Reuters

Editing and sequencing by RJ Mickelson

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