One Night in Bhopal

7.70
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Ratings: 7.70/10 from 27 users.

One Night in BhopalThe Bhopal disaster is one of the world's worst industrial disasters in the history of mankind. The explosion at Union Carbide plant located at the heart of the city of Bhopal caused a release of toxic gas rolled along the ground through the surrounding streets killing thousands of people.

The gases also injured anywhere from 150,000 to 600,000 people. Six safety measures designed to prevent a gas leak had either malfunctioned, were turned off or were otherwise inadequate. In addition, the safety siren, intended to alert the community should an incident occur at the plant, was turned off.

Mixing drama and eyewitness accounts, this documentary tells the story of the night of the disaster through the people who lived there.

The drama-documentary focuses on five local people, who saw first-hand the effects of the gas on the patients, a local police superintendent who helped to restore calm on the night and a young technician at the factory whose life was saved by an oxygen mask.

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27 Comments / User Reviews

  1. david johnson

    third world country yet again will suffer, union carbide should av got prosecuted

  2. ralph_cramden

    When this factory was built it was in the middle of a jungle. The Indian government is also culpable because it has no zoning laws and allowed people to build shacks right up to the factory fence. If you live in the shadow of a factory you should expect to be exposed if something goes wrong. Union Carbide paid the price - they're no longer in business but business works in the confines of govt. laws. Blame the govt. as well.

  3. Davey Jai Dickens

    'Reassuring press-release'... when i heard that 'good news' i knew UC would spin their way out of it. Never accepted culpability, what a sham.

  4. sunny1111

    Why didnt America have this factory in their own back yard! Yeah right!

  5. Carol-lyn Brown

    Not for the life of me will I ever understand how these people, this company, were ever allowed to get away with this.

  6. Michelle Cantu

    this was a very sad tradgidy. americans as well as the indians running the plant and government all played a part in though, Americans cut all costs in half therefore cutting back jobs and safety checks but the workers did not take the correct precautions to prevent it from happening either. They should have also let everyone in the surrounding are know that this was a dangerous chemical and what they would do if something like this occured.

  7. Andreas Luneborg

    What all God's lucifarians do best, is admit that class 4 grade chemicals are awesome! And the market now, is better than ever, grade 3. chemicals are children safe! You need pink plastic!

    Just Do It! - NIKE : Because the rapture is near, and bilderberg and the reptilian lucifarians will switch on agenda, and you will all have your .. can't say, it's a secret. Nano is your friend, zinc oxide is water!

    Blue Bubble Gum.
    Yum

  8. Remco Gerritsen

    This documentary proves my point on all big companies: They are out for human destruction and nothing else. And they will all burn in hell for sure.

    Great docu.

  9. Nakor420

    I feel terrible for these people. I wish they had practiced better safety precautions. 4 differant safety checks failed. It was an American corp, but it was Indian workers who failed to take the necessary precautions. So blame cannot be laid solely on american corps. I know alot of people like to jump on the "hate America" band wagon these days, but keep in mind that corps around the world are just as callous and evil. We have to reighn in ALL corps, not just American ones.

    1. RinaBobina

      While the Indians may have played a SMALL part in this disaster, ultimately UC is responsible. They were the ones who 1) scaled back safety checks & personnel (1/3rd of workforce fired) TO SAVE COST when Sevin wasn't making profit; 2) The Americans also KNEW that MIC was extremely volitile and even had their OWN concerns about water entering the holding tanks yet FAILED to send these same reports to the plant managers in Bohpal. THAT is no Indian's fault: that is the American counterparts failure. Plus, UC has still failed to admit any responsibility even as tens of thousands of people live with the ill effects of the gas leak - many years later: cancer, gynecological problems for women, birth defects, central nervous system deficits, blindness, ongoing respiratory illness- the indians of Bohpal live this this day and and day out while UC & its parent company DOW are making profits of over $4 billion as of 2010. Bohpal suffers while UC profits.

    2. Nakor420

      I don't deny that UC is mostly at fault, but I have a problem when people in this thread try to blame America as a whole. If a corporation commits a crime, then they have criminals and need to route them out, but to say things like "See what America does? Down with USA." and other s*** like that,all that is is hate. American people are very kind generous people mostly. The rest of the world should not blame all of America for the crimes of a few.

    3. suresh belvetkar

      I think it is the Govt. policies and the lobbying by the elites of American corporations which makes the world hate america, also I feel your knowledge is very limited. In order to enhance ur knowledge I suggest you watch a documentry of John perkins named Appology of an economic hit man and a documentary called let us make money.....u would be glad u had enough knowledge.

  10. AllanA

    So sad the US companies treat people like this. Make me ashamed to say I have US citizenship. US companies still do this to other countries too.

    1. StillRV

      Indeed, The corporations of all of the rest of the world make the US really stand out. If only America cold meet the humanitarian standards of companies like BP, or Chinese coal companies etc. Dare to dream of such a world.
      When I visit places like Dubai, and Hong Cong. Dublin or Hanoi. All i see is happy safe people who are meticulously cared for by their corporate bosses.
      I hear that the residents around Chernobyl drink only the finest vodka and the Japanese in the north have been eating nothing but kobi beef for the last 3 months.
      My shame that you were granted citizenship is equal to your shame in having it.

    2. Anthony Williams

      ... lists at least two communist countries implying that the economic structure is the same, then lists two nuclear disasters one caused by experimentation and the nuclear arms race another caused by shameless salesmanship of american corporations. (yes that's right US sold the reactors to Fukishima) The faults in the containment system where well known and the cooling/fail safe systems of the GE mk1 was seen as particularly vulnerable to seismic activity.

      Perhaps you should stop playing Devils advocate and start paying attention.

      So to summarise: Allan A simply says that it is sad that corporations treat people badly and also acknowledges a sense of personal responsibility or association due to his Nationality.

      And in response to that your rant off a complete nonsensical list of irrelevant situations and barely coherent half examples combined with an attempt at some pithy metaphors that simply makes blood shoot from the eyes of anyone foolish enough to look over your nasty little outburst.

    3. StillRV

      Nothing nonsensical about it. Fact is that corporations and governments around the world forgo compassion for the common man in pursuit of their own power and wealth. Your response is so programed and predictable. Even in a foreign nation it has to be the US fault. We sold them the reactors... So? If I sell someone a lawn mower and they cut their toes off I guess it's my fault right. And the logic that the soviet regulations and safety personnel were delinquent in their duties due to some perceived competition with the US...yea that is bone headed. Do me a favor get out there in the real world and see what goes on then report back to me. I am not saying that US corps are not guilty just that they are not the sole abuser of the world. That message in the media is just so unimaginably stupid.
      Honestly for as much as people bash Fox news (which I too find to be BS) they are so good at following the talking points of the main stream liberal media. You are the masters of the straw man. So what two examples were communist countries? The others were not. But they don't factor in because they are not made of the straw you needed to build your dummy. I'm sure with 5 minutes and the internet I could find dozens of similar events in any country you name. Go ahead pick one.

    4. Punyajit

      It would be great if people instead of making a mockery of this human tragedy and playing blame games between ideologies and countries and continents just joined hands to make sure such a situation never occurs again!!

    5. tomregit

      So.....exactly how many wrongs make a right?

    6. Nakor420

      Pay attention to the video. Whoever made the worksheet for the worker who put the water in the pipes didn't add the crucial step to block the water from the tank. It's THAT persons fault, not America, or India, Maybe Union Carbide should have had better checks on the work procedures, but you can't just blame "American corporations". All that is is America bashing. I swear, all this website is turning into is a big "hate America" party.

    7. o3mta3o

      its' not THAT person's fault. in corporations and most business' there is something called vicarious liability, meaning that the person (or corporation) in charge is ultimately responsible for the actions of it's employees. And american corporations have gone thru the industrial revolution many many years ago and safety standards were developed as a result of countless injuries and disasters. if the american company didn't follow the regulations it's nothing short of NEGLECT and is 100% their fault.

  11. Achems_Razor

    Scary stuff, I don't think the multi-nationals could get away with something this horrendous in today's computer age. Although they would probably try. Humans seem to be expendable when it comes to the almighty dollar.

    1. Irishkev

      Unfortunately the multinationals are still putting people at risk for profit every day, even in America. Check out shelltosea.ie or the plight of the Ogoni people in the Niger delta.

    2. leonardobdas

      arent they getting away with it in japan? at least in the damage control dept.

  12. Sherry Roberts

    Wow, amazing doc.

  13. panthera f

    325 pound compensation ???
    You should be ashamed !!

  14. NAGORI ZAHIR ABBAS

    It's really not focused on disaster...It could be made better if it was focused on actually faults of union carbide and loopholes in legacy system of India what was going on under the table

    1. RinaBobina

      That's because this documentary was about the people who were effected. But I agree that a followup documentary outlining the loopholes and the breakdowns seem to occur and how much criminality was actually involved. Of course UC and their parent company DOW would probably sue at such a document being aired (much like Monsanto tries to do) but it would be a worth while attempt.