A suspected gas poisoning occurred at Taiwanese-owned Vega Balls (Vietnam) Company Limited in the Dong Mai Industrial Park in northern Vietnam’s Quang Ninh Province on Wednesday, causing 57 workers to be hospitalized for emergency treatment, local authorities reported.

The suspected poisoning occurred at 9:30 am on Wednesday and was first noticed after workers began complaining of fatigue, nausea, and difficulty breathing difficulty. 

The gas was believed to have been generated by a faulty air compressor, according to the administration of the province’s Quang Yen Town, where the industrial park is located.

Soon after the incident, the company temporarily suspended operations and brought 33 workers to Vietnam-Sweden Hospital in the province’s Uong Bi City and 24 others to the health center in Quang Yen for emergency aid.

The firm’s management assigned staff to care for the victims.  

The Quang Yen administration has sent representatives to visit the victims at the health facilities and sent a team to the company to investigate the case and direct measures to prevent similar cases in the future.

After being given treatment and care, the workers were gradually able to recover but needed to be further monitored, authorities said. 

The provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has coordinated with other concerned agencies to investigate the cause of the incident.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Taiwan’s Yuan Chi Group, Vega Balls (Vietnam) Company Limited has about 500 employees and specializes in manufacturing fitness and sports equipment.

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