BERLIN: A German development aid organisation said on Thursday it was in talks with the Indian government to dispose of 350 tonnes of toxic waste from the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster.

“We are in discussions with the Indian government,” a spokesman for the government-run Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) said, adding that Indian officials had approached Germany with the request.

No contract had been concluded yet, he said.

Details of the possible deal were unclear, but the GIZ would likely transport the toxic waste to Germany for treatment.

The accident at a pesticide plant in Bhopal was blamed on its operators Union Carbide, a US chemical group run by Dow Chemical.

The plant leaked toxic gas into neighbouring slums, killing thousands instantly and tens of thousands more over the following years.—AFP