Pune | Sixteen people took ill after inhaling chlorine gas that leaked at a civic-run swimming pool in Pimpri-Chinchwad area of Maharashtra's Pune district on Tuesday, a fire official said.

The gas leaked from a cylinder at a municipal swimming pool in the Kasarwadi area around 9 am, the official said.

Fire officials sealed the cylinder and submerged it in the pool to allow the gas to dissolve in the water, he said.

"We cordoned off the area and evacuated people. At least 16 people who were in the pool inhaled the gas and were taken to a civic-run hospital for treatment," the officer said, adding that some lifeguards were also affected.

People who inhaled chlorine gas complained of cough and nausea, a civic official said, adding that the condition of the affected persons was stable.