THE BHOPAL MEDICAL APPEAL – Supporting free medical care for the survivors of the worlds worse chemical disaster the Bhopal Gas Tragedy

Raghu Rai

This famous, terrible and tender picture was taken by Magnum photographer Raghu Rai on the morning of December 3rd, 1984, after the night of horror in Bhopal when a huge cloud of poison gas 500 times more toxic than hydrogen cyanide spewed from a factory belonging to Union Carbide Corporation.

Thousands died in hideous ways. As the sun rose on streets full of corpses, Raghu found himself in a graveyard where a man was burying his young daughter. The father had covered the tiny body but then, unable to bear parting from her, brushed the earth away for one last look.

For the Bhopalis this picture has come to symbolise over 30 years of unimaginable suffering, an injustice never righted, crimes unpunished, and a community that most of the world has forgotten.

Children of Bhopal

Something very shameful is happening in Bhopal and hardly anyone knows about it. Children are being born dead and malformed in numbers not seen since the spate of horrific births that followed the gas catastrophe of 1984.

Mention Bhopal and most people think of the horrific events of 3rd December 1984, when the city was devastated by a huge leak of poison gas from a pesticide factory owned by US chemical giant Union Carbide.

Thousands died in agony, choking, blinded by gas that burned their eyes and seared their lungs. More than half a million were injured. Today in the city, upwards of 150,000 people are still chronically ill from the injuries suffered on that night. The death toll has reached more than 25,000.

When is a Settlement NOT a Settlement

Thirty years ago today, a ‘settlement’ was made for the Bhopal Disaster. There was no consultation with its survivors. Union Carbide paid $470m dollars, which represented an absolute pittance when shared out among survivor, with most receiving only a few hundred dollars. By the summer of 1988 pressure was building after a fourth summons to […]

Chingari Celebrates Republic Day

Republic Day is celebrated by many in India as recognition of the nation’s independence. It stands in remembrance of the day its constitution came into force on January 26, 1950, completing the country’s transition into an independent republic. It is a national holiday with much effort is put towards organizing events and celebrations. There are […]

Spare a Thought for Bhopalis on World Cancer Day, 4th February

A cruel disease that touches all of our lives, we all know somebody who will die from cancer and many of us have already witnessed a friend, or a loved one, perish in its grip. An estimated 9.6 million people die each year from cancer, which is more than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined, and […]

Curative Petition Finally Gets a Hearing

On Monday, 28 January, the Supreme Court in Delhi finally agreed to hear the central government’s (GoI) curative petition calling for increased compensation to victims of the Bhopal Gas Disaster from the successor firms of Union Carbide. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said it would hear the central government’s […]

Chingari’s Latest Expansion

From humble beginnings in 2006, operating from a tiny building originally occupied by the very first Sambhavna Clinic, the Chingari Trust Rehabilitation Centre has gone from strength to strength. Thanks to the outstanding work taking place there, and its many generous supporters, BMA has been privileged enough to help the centre expand, moving on two […]

"As an example of a holistic, environmentally-sound, community-focused and patient-centred approach to healthcare, the Sambhavna Clinic is way ahead of anything I have ever visited or worked in, anywhere in the world."

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