The leak occurred due to a series of safety lapses and inadequate maintenance at the UCIL plant. Water inadvertently entered a MIC storage tank, causing a chemical reaction that raised the temperature and pressure inside the tank. This led to the release of a large volume of MIC gas into the atmosphere. The lack of functional safety systems, such as refrigeration units and scrubbers, exacerbated the situation, allowing the gas to spread rapidly across the city.
