KUALA LUMPUR: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad says that as of Wednesday (March 13), 1,171 people had received treatment, of which 397 were warded and 13 were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to the chemical dumping incident in Pasir Gudang in Johor.
He added that 70 of those warded had been since discharged.
"I want to stress that so far, there have been no fatalities recorded due to the incident. Do not believe viral social media postings saying there are deaths," he said.
Dr Dzulkelfy advised people not to get to close too the clean-up in the affected area as they could be exposed to hazardous gasses.
He added that spikes in the chemical levels in the air were dependent on wind and temperature.
"The situation is currently being monitored by experts," he said in Parliament on Thursday.
Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said all students affected by the incident will be covered by Takaful Malaysia insurance and his ministry would assist them in making the claims.
He also advised religious schools in the surrounding area to close temporarily until the area has been cleared by the relevant authorities.
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