Bhopal survivors march on New Delhi

About 100 victims of one of the world's worst industrial disasters have begun a march of more than 700km to the Indian capital, New Delhi, to demand compensation. More than 3,500 people were killed in 1984 when a Union Carbide plant leaked cyanide gas in Bhopal. Survivors say they still face health problems from the abandoned chemical plant.

A few people turned back on Thursday from the month-long hike after the first 30km, organisers said. "Two have left," Rachna Dhingra of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal told Al Jazeera. "It was too much for them - they were too old and too sick."

The march, launched on Wednesday, is the second by survivors and victims in two years.

Compensation calls

In 2006, marchers camped on Delhi's pavement for weeks before getting assurances from Manmohan Singh, India's prime minister, that he would look into their demands for compensation and clean-up of the toxic waste.

Protesters say the government has since protected chemical companies rather than uphold its promises, and are calling for an independent body to be set-up to assist the disaster victims.

"We want a commission on Bhopal and we want this mess gone," Leela Bhai, a survivor, told Al Jazeera.

The disaster occurred on December 3, 1984, when a storage tank at the Union Carbide India pesticide plant in Bhopal spewed deadly methyl isocyanate gas into the air, killing more than 3,500 slum dwellers immediately.

"I remember the night of the gas leak like it was yesterday," Leela said