NEW DELHI, India - A cloud of acrid but non-toxic gas leaked from a fertilizer factory, causing thousands of people to panic the day after the first anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster.

The gas cloud Wednesday billowed from a western industrial district over a broad, congested area of the capital.

Health Ministry spokesmen said more than 340 people were treated in several hospitals for eye and throat irritation, including 280 who were discharged after first aid and 62 kept for observation.

P.A. Sangma, ministe