Union Carbide, a U.S.-based multinational corporation, built a pesticide manufacturing plant in Bhopal, India. This facility stored a highly toxic gas known as methyl isocyanate (MIC) in underground tanks. At around 12:30 a.m. on December 3, 1984, a catastrophic leak occurred, releasing the deadly gas into the air. While 750,000 residents of Bhopal slept, approximately 80,000 pounds (36 tons) of MIC escaped over a span of two hours. On the day of the disaster, about 2,800 people lost their lives, 17,000 were seriously injured, and countless others developed various cancers and chronic illnesses. In total, the tragedy left more than 200,000 victims in its wake.